The Secret They Lived With
by AimlessWanderer0428
Summary: There are two sides to every story. This is Draco Malfoy's side. Having met and befriended Hermione Granger at a young age, attending Hogwarts brings new challenges to the pair. It's hard watching your best friend create a new life, and knowing you can never be part of it. Draco and Hermione try to maintain their secret friendship despite how different their lives are becoming.
1. Chapter 1-The Blissful Beginning

Draco was running as fast as he could. He knew that he was in trouble, and he wasn't keen on being there when his father found out what he had done. It was just an accident. He was only playing when he had stubbed his toe and a surge of anger shot through him in his moment of pain. But that was all it took. Draco was still too young to be able to understand, or control his powers. In that moment of painful vulnerability, he had involuntarily sent sparks through the heavy chain holding the beautiful crystal chandelier that hung in the entryway of their magnificent Manor. The magically magnified heat of the sparks had melted the chain, causing the chandelier to come crashing to the floor. Draco's heart stopped as crystal shattered all around him, pieces of glass scraping his face and leaving cuts that he did not feel in his moment of panic. For one fleeting moment, Draco considered blaming Dobby, their house elf, before remembering that Dobby was with his father, assisting him on his day Draco ran. He could think of nothing else to do. That chandelier had belonged to his grandfather, and had hung in his father's childhood home before it had been moved to Malfoy Manor upon his grandfather's death. Draco knew that his father would be furious, and that scared Draco. He barreled out the front doors and down the long drive past beautifully carved bushes and snow white peacocks. Turning the corner at the end of the drive and running as fast as his little feet would take him, he ran to the adjoining road, crossed it, and disappeared through the trees on the other side.

Not really knowing where he was going, Draco ran until the trees began to thin and he came to a stop at the edge of a small pond. To the left of the water was a sad little park containing a solitary two person swing set, a rusted slide, and an old teeter totter which creaked and shifted in the evening breeze. Draco wandered over, and sank into one of the swings. A wave of hopelessness crashed over him, and he began to cry. His father was going to kill him. Draco knew he wouldn't be able to hide from him forever. He was only 9 years old after all.

A small movement at the corner of his eye caused Draco to jump and look around in fear, thinking his father had found him already.

"Oh!" Said a small voice. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." The voice belonged to a small girl, with bushy brown curls flowing down her back. Draco suspected she was about the same age as him. He wiped his tear streaked face in embarrassment.

She spoke again, taking a few steps closer to him. "Are you alright? Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Snapped Draco.

The little girl rolled her eyes and plopped down on the swing next to him. "Well if you haven't been crying," she said, "why are there tears all over your face?" She smirked a little, apparently pleased with her skills of deduction.

Draco's face turned red. "I'm just in trouble okay?" He snapped. "I broke something by accident, and when my father finds out, he's going to kill me!"

The smile slid from the girl's face, and was replaced with a look of genuine concern. "Why don't you just explain to him that it was an accident. I'm sure he'll understand. You're just a kid."

Draco gave a dry laugh. "My father would not understand." He paused. Wanting to avoid the dread that was now creeping back into his heart at the thought of his father, Draco changed the subject. "I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy. I live on the other side of the woods."

"My name is Hermione Granger. I live in the village over there." She gestured to the other side of the pond. Draco craned his neck, and could just make out a little church steeple through the trees.

"I thought only muggles lived there." Draco said thoughtfully.

"Only what?" Asked Hermione, with a confused look on her face.

"Muggles...you know.." Draco's voice trailed off as the realization of her confusion hit him. He sprang to his feet. "I have to go." He said quickly and took a few steps away from the swings.

Hermione jumped to her feet to. "Wait! Why are you leaving?" She questioned.

"I shouldn't be talking to you!" Cried Draco. "You're a muggle! I'll only be in more trouble if my father finds out I've been talking to a muggle!"

"I'm not a muggle! You're a muggle!" Cried Hermione, clearly struggling to understand what Draco was talking about.

"What?" Said Draco. "No I'm not! Get away from me, you crazy muggle!" He began to run. He heard Hermione let out a frustrated cry, and very suddenly, as though invisible hands had grabbed him, Draco felt himself being hoisted off the ground, and was plunged into the cold waters of the little pond. Gasping, Draco surfaced, confusion and anger coursed through him.

"Oh no!" Cried Hermione, running toward the pond. "Oh no, oh no, I'm sorry! Oh, I'm going to be in so much trouble!" She dropped to her knees at the edge of the water, and buried her face in her hands. "I really didn't mean to! I was just upset! Sometimes these things just happen, oh but please don't tell!" She looked at Draco anxiously as he clamored onto the banks and laid face up in the grass, still trying to catch his breath. He opened his eyes and Hermione's face had appeared above him.

"Please don't tell..." She repeated weakly, her eyes now glistening with tears.

Draco sat up. "You're a witch!" He said in shock.

Anger crawled back over Hermione's face. "Excuse me?" She said, her voice raising. "I said I was sorry! There's no reason to call me mean names!"

"No!" Draco said, now laughing a little, more out of relief than anything. "You're a witch..like..you have magic! And I'm a wizard! You're not a muggle at all!"

Hermione shook her head. "Mummy and Daddy told me not to tell. They say it's dangerous, and people will want to hurt me!" She gave a little sniff. "I'm just different okay? I try not to be, but I can't help it."

Draco looked at her in shock. "You're not different. Why would your parents want you to hide your magic? Aren't they..." His voice trailed off as realization hit him for the second time. "no.." He said quietly. "you're not...?"

"What?" Hermione looked at him

"You're parents.." Draco started "You're parents don't have magic too? It's just you who can do it?"

"Of course they don't." Hermione said. "They're dentists."

Draco jumped up and backed away. His father's prejudice was seeping into his heart, and he began to feel dirty for just being in her presence. "You're a mudblood!" He cried. "That's even worse than being a muggle! You don't deserve to have magic, you don't belong in our world!"

Hermione was on her feet again, and clearly angry. Her face was flushed, and her fists were clenched at her sides. "You're just a stupid boy!" She screamed. It was the best insult her 9 year old brain could think of, since she didn't understand at all what Draco was saying to her.

Suddenly, there was a small pop in the trees along the pond, and a harsh voice called out, "Draco!"

Draco's already pale face turned white as a ghost. "My father!" He whispered in hushed panic, all prejudice against his new acquaintance vanished. "You have to run! He can't see me talking to you!"

Hermione's anger was extinguished, and replaced with fear for this boy she had just met. She could see how truly frightened he was, and wondered what his father was like to make his own child this afraid. "Just tell him it was an accident." She reminded him, but Draco wasn't paying attention to her. He was looking around frantically, as his father called for him again, his voice coming closer.

"You have to go now! Please!" Draco begged. In panic, he reached forward and pushed Hermione into a nearby bush just as his father emerged from the trees. Hermione, though startled at being forced into the shrubbery, did not move a muscle. The urgency in Draco's voice had frightened her. She peered through the branches to see a tall thin man with long white blonde hair striding toward the cowering Draco. "Father," Draco said in a small voice. "I'm sorry." Draco dropped to his knees.

His father towered over him. "I will deal with you at home." He said in a quiet and dangerous voice. He grabbed a fistful of Draco's hair, and yanked him to his feet. Draco's cry of pain was cut short as his father turned on the spot, and with a small pop, both Draco and his father had vanished into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2 -The Best of Friends

Hermione had just started another year of school, and was in high spirits. She loved to learn, and spent no time at all in reading her new textbooks cover to cover. While she had no problem paying attention in class, she was finding it difficult to stay focused between classes. Each time she entered the halls, she found her eyes searching for the white blonde hair of the boy she had met in the last few weeks of the previous school year. At the time, she had assumed he had recently moved to the area, and that his parents were keeping him home until the new school year. Now that summer had come and gone, and the new year had begun, Hermione was sure that Draco would be starting classes in his new school. She was anxious to talk to him. He, so far, was the only person she'd ever met who didn't seem to be upset, or frightened by her unique abilities. However, as the days went by, she caught no glimpse of him, and her spirits began to sink. Maybe she had imagined their encounter. Maybe she was so desperate to find someone that could understand her that she had created him in her mind. An imaginary friend. She had read that sometimes people who were very lonely would create imaginary people, and truly convince themselves that these new friends were real. It was a psychological condition.

"Maybe I'm crazy." Hermione thought to herself as she wandered down to the abandoned park where she often liked to study. It was so old and run down that none of the children played here anymore, leaving it peacefully quiet and secluded. Sitting by the pond, she began to pull out her school books. Suddenly she had a thought. Draco had told her that he lived on the other side of the woods. If she could see his home with her own eyes, then she would have proof he was real. She got to her feet, stuffed her books back in her bag and set off through the trees. After walking for, what to her, felt like hours, the trees began to thin and Hermione could see a small secluded road. Stepping out onto the pavement, a miraculous sight stood before her just down the road. An enormous metal gate stood at the beginning of a long driveway. The drive curved through trees and gardens, right up to the front doors of a beautiful and intimidating mansion, much larger than any house Hermione had ever seen. As she ventured toward the gate, she could see a large plaque with the words "Malfoy Manor" etched into it with curly gold lettering.

"This is it!" Thought Hermione, her excitement mounting. "He said his last name was Malfoy. This is where he lives! I knew I wasn't imagining him." But even as she thought these words, her heart sank a little. He was real, and yet, he didn't seek her out. Wasn't he just as excited at finding someone who understood him? Wasn't he as lonely as she was?

"What are you doing here?" The panicked voice made Hermione jump. She looked around, and Draco was peering from being the iron gate. "You can't be here!" He spoke a little louder now, though still not much louder than a whisper. "Go away!"

Hermione scowled, "what is wrong with you? I just want to talk to you." She took a step towards him. "Aren't you excited to find someone else like you? Someone who can make things happen by magic?"

"Stop!" Draco said in the same hushed voice. He thought she seemed like the persistent type, and he did not want his family to catch her here. She took another step towards him, and he resigned. "okay, okay..just go back!" He said hurriedly, glancing around. "Go back to the pond. I'll come meet you there. You just can't be here okay? If my father sees you..." His voice broke. He was afraid for her. "Go! I'll meet you there" he insisted when she didn't move.

Hermione looked at him with a skeptical glare. "You promise?" She questioned.

Draco made eye contact with her. His cold gray eyes, gazing into her warm brown ones. "I promise." He said.

With a nod Hermione turned and headed back through the woods. True to his word, Draco met her there a few hours later. "I'm sorry it took so long." He gave her an apologetic look. "I had to wait until my father left...but...I'm glad you waited." He sat down on the ground next to her.

Over the next few months, Draco and Hermione met every chance they could. Hermione waited every afternoon for him, and Draco came whenever he could get away without his father noticing. Before they knew it a friendship began to blossom. Draco told Hermione all about the wizarding world, insisting that she would be able to join him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry once they were old enough. Hermione told Draco about the muggle world. She laughed as he found the most ordinary things unusual. He didn't understand why muggles went to school so young, and he grew to resent the hours she was unable to spend with him due to her classes. Finally, Hermione's summer break arrived, and she was able to spend every day with Draco in the tiny park that had become their safe haven. They wiled away the days telling each other anything and everything. Hermione told Draco the stories she had learned as a child of Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Draco told Hermione tales from his world like Babbity Rabbity, and the Tale of the Three Brothers. They talked about their families. Draco became envious of the love and devotion Hermione's parents seemed to show her. His own parents, he knew loved him, but they were cold, and severe. Hermione listened with bated breath while Draco told her of the mistreatment his father often showed him when he lost his temper. She held his hand, and cried with him on those occasions when he showed up to the park with bruises and jinx marks.

Then the day came when Hermione received her letter from Hogwarts. She was so excited, she rushed to the park, letter in hand. She couldn't wait to show Draco. "Draco!" She called as he came into view. She waved her letter in the air and a smile broke across Draco's face.

"I got mine too!" He yelled and he ran towards her. She threw herself into his arms, and the friends hugged, excitement building inside of them. They threw themselves down on the grass, and laughed. "I can't wait." Draco sighed. "Once we're at school, we can hang out all the time. We're going to learn so much cool stuff, and we'll get our wands!" He looked over at her. "You're going to be in Slytherin with me! You'll have to be. We get along so well, how could you not?"

Hermione sat up. "What's Slytherin?" Draco was shocked that he hadn't told her yet about the four Hogwarts houses. He quickly launched into an explanation, describing the traits of each house. "My whole family has been in Slytherin, so I know I will be." He finished. " All the best pureblood families are. Slytherin only takes the most pure wizards."

Hermione frowned, her forehead creasing slightly. "Well then I can't be." She said slowly "Can I?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked raising his eyebrows.

"I'm a muggle-born." Hermione explained, and Draco's heart dropped into his stomach. "If Slytherin only takes pure blood wizards, then I will be put in one of the other houses."

Draco looked at his hands. He should have realized this sooner. He had been too excited about starting Hogwarts with his best friend. He never took the time to think about the fact that they wouldn't be together.

"Don't worry." Said Hermione, sensing his disappointment. "We'll still hang out. All the time." She insisted.

Draco nodded. "yeah," he agreed. "all the time." Though in his heart, he knew that as a Slytherin, it would never be acceptable for him to be seen spending time with anyone outside of his own house.


	3. Chapter 3 -First Year at Hogwarts

Draco stood nervously on Platform 9 ¾ staring at the entryway as families filed in from King's Cross Station. What if she didn't come? Draco thought. What if she didn't know how to get onto the platform? But suddenly she appeared, a little out of breath. It seemed as though she took the wall at a bit of a run. Draco smiled to himself. She must have been nervous. She looked up and their eyes locked. A smile crept across Draco's face as he saw her beaming back at him looking quite proud of herself.

"Draco." His father's voice commanded Draco's attention. "You had better get on the train." Lucius Malfoy continued looking at the other families out of the side of his eye. "You'll want to get a good seat, so you don't end up being forced to sit with...filth." He sneered, looking over at a red headed family who seemed to have more children than they could handle. Draco nodded, and followed his father's orders, climbing aboard the train and finding a compartment with a few boys that he recognized as children of his father's friends. He sat in silence as the boys made crude jokes about some of the people still standing on the platform. Draco wasn't really paying attention, but he caught words that he often heard in his father's vocabulary such as "blood-traitor," and "mudblood." He could tell that these boys were raised with the same beliefs he was regarding pure-blood status, and by the looks of them, he had no doubt that they would back those beliefs up with physical strength if anyone questioned them.

Draco looked up to see Hermione's face peering into the cabins as she came down the corridor, and he knew she was looking for him. Whether it was out of fear for her, or nervousness on his own account, he quickly exited the cabin before she could reach it, so his new companions would not see her.

"You can't sit with me." He said quickly, instantly regretting his callousness at the hurt look on Hermione's face. "I'm sorry," he said "it's just that these guys won't like you." He gestured over his shoulder at the occupants of his cabin. "They were raised just like me. They won't take kindly to a mudblood walking in and sitting with them will they?"

Hermione scowled looking angry. "I thought you said you wouldn't call me that? It's nasty." She put her hands on her hips. "And who cares what they think? Are you embarrassed to be friends with me?"

"No!" Draco said, lowering his voice. "I just don't think we should go shouting about it all over the place. Those guys are dangerous. They're families are friends of my father's."

The train lurched and began it's journey towards Hogwarts. Before Hermione could respond, a flustered boy with a round red face came hurtling down the corridor looking frantic. "Has anyone seen my toad?" He cried. Draco laughed meanly at the sight of the boy, and Hermione shot him an angry look. "Please," The boy continued. " His name is Trevor, my Gran will kill me if I've lost him already!"

"Why do you care about some dumb toad?" Draco scoffed. But Hermione took a much kinder approach, and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry." She said calmly. "I'll help you look." As the boy turned to lead her down the corridor she looked at Draco with disgust. "Go back to your real friends Draco, before they see you talking to a filthy mudblood." And she stormed off down the length of the train.

The journey to Hogwarts seemed to take forever. As he walked the train, Draco saw Hermione sitting in a cabin with two boys, one of whom Draco recognized as a member of the red headed family that he'd seen on the platform. "Great." He thought. "She's falling into the wrong crowd already." His thoughts were interrupted by whispers from some of the other passengers. "Harry Potter.." They said. "right there..in that cabin." Draco looked around. "The Harry Potter?" He thought. As he looked, he recognized the boy as one he had seen while getting his school robes in Diagon Alley. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched Hermione sitting in Potter's cabin.

The Hogwarts Express arrived at the platform with Draco still fuming over his failed attempt at extending a hand of friendship to Harry Potter. He felt another jolt in his stomach when he saw that Hermione had climbed into the same boat as Potter, the red headed Weasley, and the toad boy from the train. They arrived at the castle and were ushered into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. When Hermione's name was called she hurried forward eagerly and the sorting hat was placed on her head. Draco could see that she was shaking slightly. She was nervous, and so was he. Maybe she would get placed in Slytherin regardless of her muggle birth. He crossed his fingers, hoping and praying that it would happen.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the hat, and Draco's heart sank as he watched Hermione hurry excitedly over to join the Gryffindor table.

Draco, as expected was placed in Slytherin, thus truly separating him from the person he regarded as his best friend. Over the next few weeks, Draco had no contact with Hermione. He saw her from afar at meals, and only had Potions class with her, though of course they did not sit together. He sat with Crabbe, and Goyle, who he related well to, though he didn't think that either of them were very bright. Hermione, of course sat with Potter and Weasley. He was not sure their friendship was completely mutual though, as it seemed Hermione often caused them irritation. This angered Draco. How could she hang out with people who didn't even appreciate her?

Draco's irritation with Harry Potter soon turned into loathing. Potter made Draco look like a fool at their first flying lesson, only to be rewarded with a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and a brand new broom. He thwarted Draco's attempt for revenge when he miraculously avoided Filch after Draco tipped him off about Potter being out of bed after hours. But nothing made him angrier than when Hermione pushed past him in the corridor with tears streaming down her face. Draco looked around just in time to hear Potter and Weasley saying to each other " She must've noticed she's got no friends." Draco restrained the urge to punch them both, and instead hurried off up the corridor after Hermione.

"Hey," he called, pushing back the tapestry behind which Hermione had just vanished. He caught her arm and pulled her around to face him in the otherwise empty corridor. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

Hermione looked up at him and gave a little sniff. "Why do you care?" She shot back at him.

"Hermione," Draco said feeling his throat tighten a little. He hadn't talked to her in months. "I care..."

Hermione closed her eyes, and wiped her hands over her face. "I'm just having a difficult time adjusting that's all." She said thickly. "It's not like I grew up in this world the way you did! I thought when I came here I would finally feel like I belonged, but no one here likes me either!"

"Who, Potter, and Weasley?" Draco said slightly annoyed. "Why do you want them to like you? There's jerks!"

"Well at least they're not embarrassed to be seen with me!" She snapped. She pushed him away from her and stormed down the corridor.

"Hermione!" Draco called attempting to follow her, but without another glance at him, she disappeared into the girl's bathroom.

After Halloween, Potter, Weasley, and Hermione seemed almost inseparable. To Draco's annoyance, Hermione seemed to have finally been accepted by them, and he could see her friendship with them growing right before his eyes. The next couple of months flew by, and before anyone knew it, the Christmas break was upon them. Departing the castle, and returning home held mixed emotions for Draco. He did miss his mother, and as long as nothing happened to anger his father, Draco anticipated a pleasant holiday. He caught Hermione as she was leaving the station, just long enough to whisper to her "Meet me tomorrow at noon." Before hurrying to his waiting parents.

Not knowing if Hermione would actually show up, Draco sneaked out of his house the following day and made his way through the snow cover trees. He brushed the snow off of the swings, and sat down to wait, hoping that she would come. Draco saw her before she has reached him, and a wave of relief swept over him. He slid from his swing, and rushed to her. He pulled her into a tight hug, though he could feel that she had taken a slight step back at his touch. "I miss you." Draco said, abandoning all attempt at playing it cool.

"Draco," Hermione said as they broke apart, "It's freezing, why are we here?"

"Hermione," Draco suddenly felt awkward. "This is not how I wanted the school year to go. I'm sorry." When she didn't respond, he continued. "I just can't stand that Potter and his stupid sidekick! How can you be friends with them?"

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "How can you be friends with that Crabbe, and Goyle. They're vile!"

Draco sat back down on the swing, and to his relief Hermione took a seat on the other one. " I don't want to fight." Draco said. " I just miss my best friend, that's all."

Hermione's expression softened, and she sighed, thinking for a moment. Finally, she broke the silence. "Let's make a pact okay?"

Draco looked up at her. "What kind of pact?" He questioned.

Hermione continued, "no matter how much we hate each other's friends, and no matter what happens at school, we'll be best friends forever, and we'll always come back to this place."

Draco gave her a small smile. "Agreed." He said, but she continued, "and we'll still do our best to see each other regularly at school..." She hesitated. "But secretly..." She looked at him tentatively. He nodded. They both understood that an open friendship at Hogwarts would cause too much trouble. For Hermione, it could even be dangerous. Draco's friends weren't the most tolerant people.

As the Christmas break continued, Draco and Hermione quickly fell into their old friendship as though it had never been interrupted. Draco couldn't remember having a better Christmas. Soon, though, they were on their way back to Hogwarts for the new term, their pact not forgotten. Shortly after their return, Draco was reminded of why he hated Potter and Weasley so much. It irritated him to see Hermione spending so much time with them, so when he saw the three of them sneaking out of the castle together, towards the Gamekeeper's hut, he couldn't help but follow. Peering through the window, Draco couldn't believe his eyes. A dragon was clawing its way out of a large egg on the kitchen table. Just as Draco crained his neck to get a better look, Hagrid looked up and their eyes met. Draco dropped to the ground. Hagrid had definitely seen him. He ran back up to the castle, still not completely sure of what to make of the scene he had just witnessed.

"You can't tell anyone." Hermione said when she had caught him on his own the following day. "I know you saw, but you just can't tell. You'll get Hagrid in trouble!"

"Who cares?" Draco said, in shock that Hermione was so okay with Hagrid hatching a dragon in his kitchen. "It's illegal!"

"Draco, please.." She looked at him and he could tell that she was worried. "We're going to come up with a plan. Just in the meantime, please don't tell anyone."

Reluctantly, Draco agreed.

Over the next couple of weeks, Draco kept his silence, it was only when Weasley ended up in the Hospital Wing with a suspicious bite that Draco decided he had to do something. Hermione could be the next one bitten. He went to the Hospital Wing under the pretense of needing to borrow a book from Weasley. If he could scare Weasley into saying something about the dragon in front of Madam Pomfrey, then Hermione couldn't blame it on Draco when Hagrid got in trouble. His visit with Weasley didn't go as planned however, and Draco, frustrated and annoyed simply left with the borrowed book. As he returned to his dormitory, he threw the book toward his bed. Hitting the edge of the bed, the book fell to the floor, and a small piece of parchment fell out of it. Picking it up and turning it over, Draco found a letter addressed to Ron from someone called Charlie. Draco read the letter through twice just to make sure he understood. They were getting rid of the dragon! They were moving him tonight! Draco was concerned. Moving a dragon would be very dangerous. What if Hermione got hurt?

At half past 11 that evening, Draco set out to keep an eye on Hermione as she moved the dragon. He wasn't sure that there was anything he could do if something went wrong and she did get hurt, but he couldn't stand just sitting around in his dorm not knowing. Searching the castle however, Draco couldn't find Hermione, or her friends. They said they would be here, how could he not see them? He didn't have long to look however before he heard a sharp voice

"Malfoy!" He spun around to face Professor McGonagall. He thought for a brief moment about attempting to run for it, but before he could she reached out and firmly grabbed his ear. "Detention!" She shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you!" Draco gave a feeble attempt at arguing, but McGonagall was hearing none of it.

It seemed as though Hermione and Potter, while successful at smuggling out the dragon, were not able to return to their dorms without getting caught themselves, for when Draco arrived in the entrance hall for his detention, he saw that Hermione, Potter, and Neville the toadboy were to join him. They walked to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to serve their detention. All Draco was able to do was look at Hermione, and when no one was listening he whispered to her "I'm sorry. I was just worried about you."

By the end of the school year, Draco was once again ready to return home. Ready to have Hermione all to himself for a few months. Draco boarded the train with the anticipation of seeing her tomorrow, and every day of the summer. He hoped that next year would prove easier to spend time with her, but in the meantime, they still had their place, and they still had their pact.


	4. Chapter 4 -Second Year at Hogwarts

The last days of summer where upon them. Hermione and Draco lay in the dewy grass beneath a sparkly, cloudless sky. Dusk had fallen around them, but they didn't want to return to their homes just yet. It had been a wonderful summer, and they wanted to soak up every last minute of it. They were about to start their second year at Hogwarts.

"Draco" Hermione's quiet voice broke through the thick night air.

"Yeah?" Draco said, his eyes fixed on the almost full moon overhead.

"This year's going to be better." Hermione said softly. "I know it is."

Draco smiled in the darkness. He hoped she was right.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station, Draco paused outside of an almost empty cabin. He hesitated for a moment, his fingers on the door. Looking around, he quickly slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind him and pulling down the window shades. Hermione looked up with a concerned expression.

"Where are your friends?" Draco asked, hoping he would get at least a few minutes alone with her before they returned.

Hermione sighed, looking even more worried. "I don't know!" She cried. "They missed the train! I hope everything is alright!"

Draco sat down next her, feeling suddenly pleased, but trying to look sympathetic. "I'm sure they'll be fine," he said, not really caring if that were true. "So.." he said slowly. "Does that mean that I can sit with you?"

Hermione looked startled "what will Crabbe and Goyle say?"

Draco shrugged. "Who cares?"

Hermione smiled and seemed to relax a little. They talked for a while, but as the day moved on, the rhythmic clicking of the train began to make them feel drowsy. Eventually, Draco could keep his eyes open no longer, and his head drooped a little onto Hermione's shoulder. She laughed a little to herself, but didn't move him. Instead she sat in silence, her thoughts wandering back to Harry and Ron. In his sleep, Draco stretched out across the bench, his head now resting gently on the bundle of school robes Hermione had been holding on her lap. She looked down at him, and something caught her eye. His shirt had been pushed up a little when he shifted, and she could see the deep purple and yellow coloration of a nasty bruise at the base of his ribs. Her forehead creased as she frowned at it. As gently as she could, so as not to wake Draco, she tugged the hem of his shirt a little higher. The bruising stretched up the full length of his rib cage, and Hermione could see several angry red welts as though he had been hit with something long, and forceful. A rod perhaps..or a wand. As she gazed down at him, Hermione felt sick to her stomach, and her eyes began to well up. She noticed that Draco's sleeves had been pushed up around his elbows, and his forearms bore similar marks. Draco stirred and Hermione quickly attempted to hide her worried face as his bleary eyes opened. Draco, surprised and embarrassed to find himself laying across her, quickly sat up a pink tinge creeping across his cheeks.

"Draco," said Hermione. The tone of her voice made Draco nervous. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Draco looked at her with an expression of mild confusion. She reached forward, and he felt her fingertips brush his bare arm. Looking down, he hurriedly pulled his sleeves down around his hands, covering the embarrassing red marks.

"It's nothing." He said quickly, but he knew he couldn't try to hide it from her. She had already seen them. Draco had the sneaking suspicion, by the way her eyes lingered on his torso, that she was also aware of the damage that had been done to his rib cage, and felt himself growing redder by the second.

"Draco," She said his name again. He hated when she said his name. It made him feel stupid.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Draco insisted. "I overheard my father saying something about Hogwarts, and something that was happening this year."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What did he say was happening?"

Draco shook his head. "I didn't really hear anything more. He just said 'it's happening this year. We've waited long enough. Hogwarts needs to be tended to' or something along those lines. Judging by how angry he got when he saw me, he must have thought I had heard more than I did." Draco looked down at his hands.

Hermione reached forward and laced her fingers through his, placing her head on his shoulder in a comforting sort of way. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and stood up. "We'd better get changed into our school robes. We're nearly there."

The first few weeks of Hogwarts were as normal as ever. Hermione was relieved to find that Harry and Ron were alright, though frustrated at their carelessness of allowing muggles to see them flying in that ridiculous car. Draco was granted the position of Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Pleased as he was, he couldn't help but think that his father's generous donation of new team brooms may have had something to do with his appointment. Surely, his father's unfeeling attempt at an apology for what he had done to Draco right before the start of term. Potter was truly getting on Draco's nerves this year. Strutting around showing off how famous he was. Draco even caught a little blonde haired boy with a camera asking Potter for a signed photo. Despite himself, Draco's annoyance bubbled.

"Signed photos?" Draco spat. "You're giving out signed photos now?" Potter was unbelievable.

"Shut up Malfoy." Said Potter.

"You're just jealous!" Piped up the small blonde boy.

Draco laughed "Jealous?" Half of the courtyard was listening to him now. Hermione was sitting a few feet away with an open book on her lap, and Draco knew she would be furious with him, but he had started this, and couldn't allow Potter to make a fool of him again. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

"Eat slugs Malfoy!" Spat Weasley.

Draco smirked. "Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter, It'd be worth more than his family's whole house!"

Hermione snapped her book shut, and Draco knew he had crossed a line. However, they were quickly interrupted by Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Malfoy seized the chance to shrink back into the crowded courtyard.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione said sternly. They were in the Library, hidden between the shelves.

"I'm not apologizing!" Draco snapped angrily. "He just gets under my skin! Everyone thinks he's so amazing. The famous Potter!"

"Careful Draco," Hermione said with a smirk. "You really are starting to sound a little jealous."

Draco glared after her as she stomped away, feeling a twinge of resentment towards her.

Draco knew that if he wanted Hermione to stop being angry with him, he had to try to control his temper around Potter and Weasley, but despite this thought, before he knew it Draco was face to face with Potter again, spitting insults at him.

The Gryffindor, and Slytherin teams were standing on the Quidditch field, in a heated argument about which team had the field for practice. He could see Hermione growing angrier by the second, but he couldn't help himself. With the whole Slytherin team standing around him, Draco felt invincible, finally able to put Potter in his place. Just as Draco made a rude comment about the Gryffindor team members being too poor to be able to afford proper brooms, Hermione jumped forward, red faced and said in a spiteful voice "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent!"

Draco's smug face faltered, and before he could stop himself, he spat back in anger, "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood"

There was an instant uproar, and for a second Draco felt ashamed of himself, however, a moment later Weasley tried to shoot a hex at him, the spell backfiring on its caster. With a bang, Weasley was on all fours throwing up slugs, and Draco couldn't help but roar with laughter along with the other Slytherins.

Hermione, with Harry, pulled Ron away, leaving Draco on the ground in a fit of laughter. They took Ron to Hagrid's where they explained what had happened.

"Malfoy called her Mudblood, Hagrid," Ron said through the slugs.

Hermione had never heard that word said in the presence of anyone other than Draco before, and the reactions of her classmates made her realize that she didn't truly comprehend the severity of the word. She knew it was nasty, Draco had told her that much..but he never really explained it to her.

"I don't know what it means." She said to Harry, Ron and Hagrid, her voice trembling a little. "I could tell it was really rude, of course."

Back in the Library, Draco peered through the shelves. He knew she was here somewhere. Then, quite suddenly a hardcover book landed over his head with a loud thunk. "Ow!" Draco cried, followed by an immediate shushing noise from Madam Pince the librarian. Draco looked around rubbing his head, and came face to face with Hermione.

"Malfoy, you disgusting jerk!" She exclaimed, levitating another book of the shelves and ushering it towards him.

"Hermione!" Said Draco, snatching the book out of the air before she could drop it on his already throbbing skull.

"Dirty blood am I?" Hermione continued, advancing on him as he backed a few steps down the aisle. "Filthy? Is that what you truly believe?"

Draco could tell she was furious. She had called him Malfoy. Her face was turning red, and she looked a little wild. "Hermione, no" he croaked taking another frightened step back.

Hermione waved her wand, and sent three more large books soaring off the shelves toward Draco. Dropping to the floor and throwing his arms up over his face, the books soared over his head, but by the time his stood up straight again Hermione's robes were whipping around the bookshelf and out of sight.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE

Draco stared at the dripping red letters, along with his fellow student. Fear swept through him. Was that a dead cat? He shivered slightly, and then, not wanting anyone to realize he was frightened called out "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Why would he say that? He wasn't sure. Did he think that made him sound tough? 'Yes.' Said a small intimidated voice in his head. Better than everyone thinking he was afraid.

Hermione sat with Ron and Harry. They had just heard the whole story of the Chamber of Secrets from Professor Binns, and were theorizing. Harry and Ron were in the process of strongly suggesting something that Hermione didn't want to allow herself to think. The Heir of Slytherin...

"If you're talking about Malfoy.." She started

"Of course I am!" Exclaimed Ron.

Hermione's brain was going a mile a minute. She knew that Draco could never do such a thing. Not her best friend. But she also knew that Harry and Ron would never believe it unless they heard it from Malfoy's own mouth. Thinking quicker than she had ever done, she hatched a plan.

All of her anger towards Draco evaporated as she rushed through the corridors to find him. She spotted him ahead, and making sure that no one was in sight, she ran over to him, and pulled him into an alcove behind a suit of armor.

"They think it's you!" She said quickly.

"What?" Draco asked, completely confused.

"The heir of Slytherin." Hermione continued. "It's not true though is it Draco? Are you Slytherin's heir?"

Draco was taken aback. "Not that I know of." He said bewildered.

"Draco," Hermione's voice was becoming panicked. "The heir of Slytherin has opened the Chamber of Secrets. Only the Heir can control the beast inside." She explained. "Ron and Harry think it's you! They won't be convinced otherwise." Hermione took hold of the front of Draco's robes as she continued. "I've come up with a plan..a way to convince them that you're not the one attacking people." She hesitated "It might sound crazy, but please tell me you'll cooperate!"

"Okay," Draco said, gently grabbing her wrists and pulling her hands off of him. "I promise, I'll cooperate. Just tell me what the plan is."

Hermione looked up at him apologetically. "I've told them that I'll make a Polyjuice potion. That we'll transform ourselves into Slytherin's and trick you into telling us."

"What?" Draco laughed a little. "You're crazy, is that the real plan?" The look on her face was confirmation enough. "Oh, come on Hermione, really? Can you even make a Polyjuice potion?" He said, no longer laughing.

"I'm sorry..it was all I could think of in the moment." Hermione sighed. "I'll tell you when it's happening..just be honest okay?..and pretend you don't know it's us."

The days and weeks stretched on, and Draco began to think that Hermione had forgotten about her ridiculous plan to clear his name. Much to Draco's dismay, Potter pulled off yet another miraculous Quidditch win, completely humiliating Draco in the process. Draco didn't even feel a little sorry that Potter ended up in the hospital wing, regrowing the bones in his arm. "Serves him right" thought Draco coldly.

There was an attack that night, on a boy this time. The same one that Draco had laughed at for wanting Potter's autograph. "Great," thought Draco. "Now Potter is probably even more suspicious of me."

Draco's luck only got worse as the days went on. There was an explosion in Potions, and Draco caught a face full of Swelling Solution. More humiliation. When Draco finally had a chance to redeem himself, facing off against Potter in dueling class, Potter hit him hard in the stomach with a jinx. The excellent spell Draco shot in retaliation was all but forgotten after Potter showed off his abilities as a Parseltongue.

Much to Draco's disappointment, he received a letter from his father telling him that he was not to return home over Christmas break. Hermione however, seemed pleased by this news and decided to finally put her plan into motion. Draco waited, as instructed by Hermione, for the three of them to show up disguised as Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode. He was meant to casually show them where the Slytherin common room was.

Coming around the corner, he saw Crabbe and Goyle, but no Millicent. This gave Draco pause, but after a moment, he was sure that this wasn't the real Crabbe and Goyle. They were stupidly stuttering to the Prefect Weasley about heading to the Slytherin common room.

"There you are." Draco drawled as he walked up to them.

Draco took them back to the common room, and allowed them to subtly question him. Without Hermione's presence though, Draco couldn't help but have a little fun. He pretended to forget the password just to see the look of panic on their faces when he asked them what it was. He took the opportunity to mock Weasley's father knowing full well that Weasley would have to just sit there and take it. Overall, it was a laugh, but Draco was happy when they suddenly sprinted away, making up some stupid excuse. No doubt their Polyjuice potion was beginning to wear off.

Hermione, Draco found out had accidentally mixed up the hair for her potion, and was forced to spend several weeks in the Hospital Wing. Draco however, was unable to visit her as the hospital wing was constantly full of people, and Potter and Weasley rarely left her side. Hermione finally recovered, and the school year went on, though with an increasing number of attacks on the students. Then, after weeks, when Draco finally was starting to think that things might be returning to normal, he overheard her name.

"Hermione" someone said in the corridor. "yes, she's in the Hospital Wing...petrified. Muggle-born, you know."

Draco's heart collapsed inside his chest. He felt his hands and feet go numb, and felt as though he would not be able to draw another breath. Then all at once, the blood surged through him again. In his panic, he took off running, shoving the other students out of his way. He reached the Hospital Wing and screeched to a halt, but before he could put his hand on the door, it swung open, and Potter and Weasley slumped out looking at the ground. Draco threw himself behind a suit of armor and waited, his heart pounding in his ears. The second they were out of sight, Draco wrenched open the Hospital Wing door and scanned the room. The wing was empty of everyone except the previous victims, and there she was. Lying there, unmoving, her empty eyes staring in fear at something that was no longer there. The sight of it scared him. He felt his chest tighten, as he walked toward her. He reached out and touched her hand. She was cold as ice. As he leaned over her something wet fell to her face. Draco hadn't even realized that he was crying. He wiped his tear from her face and sat down on the edge of her bed holding her hand in both of his, his face on her shoulder.

"Hermione" he whispered, as he allowed his panic to overcome him.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Said a sharp voice, and Draco look up quickly, as his heart gave another frightened jolt. "Visiting hours are over." Madam Pomfrey said briskly as she took another step out of her office.

Draco released Hermione's hands and choking back more tears, hurried to wipe his face. "Please," he said to Madam Pomfrey. "Don't tell anyone I was here."

"Mr. Malfoy, " she repeated. "My only interest is for the health of my patients. Not for their tangled social lives."

Draco had never felt more helpless. Over the next few weeks he became increasingly depressed. Without Hermione's presence in the castle, he didn't even want to be there. He continued to visit her as often as he could. He wasn't sure if she could sense her surroundings, but he needed her to know that he was there. He didn't abandon her. He never wanted this to happen to her. The school year was ending, and Draco missed his best friend more than anything. Finally, just when Draco felt more desperate than ever, it was announced that the cure had been completed, and they were administering the potion to those who had been attacked. Draco ran to the Hospital Wing his heart full of excitement. He stood in the background as his classmates huddled excitedly around their newly unpetrified friends. He could see Potter and Weasley sitting at Hermione's bedside, but he couldn't even spare them a spark of jealousy. All he cared about was that Hermione was back. She looked over at him, and their eyes locked for a moment. Gray to brown. She smiled.

As they exited the school for the train station, Hermione caught up with Draco. When he saw her, he pulled her into the strongest hug he could muster. "Don't ever do that to me again." He whispered.


	5. Chapter 5 -Third Year at Hogwarts

The summer between Draco's second and third years at Hogwarts was one of the worst he had ever experienced. Somehow, Harry Potter had tricked Draco's father into freeing their house elf, leaving Draco to pick up the harrowing responsibilities of keeping Malfoy Manor up to his parents high expectations, and ensuring that his mother and father's standard of comfort never faltered. Almost since the moment Draco arrived home, he felt like a prisoner. Though he tried many times, he was unable to slip away, through the woods to where he knew Hermione was waiting for him. After weeks of not showing up, he wondered if she gave up waiting and stopped going to the park altogether. He wanted to send her a letter, to explain his absence, but he knew that if his father intercepted the owl, Draco would be putting Hermione and her whole family in potential danger.

Now Draco stood on Platform 9 ¾ finally awaiting the train which would return him to Hogwarts, and his only chance of seeing his best friend, after long last. His eyes trailed around the platform looking for that familiar brown curly hair. When he finally saw her, he almost had to do a double take. Perhaps it was just because he hadn't seen her all summer, but Hermione looked strangely different. Draco noticed that she had cut her hair a little shorter than she normally kept it, and something about the way she carried herself left Draco rooted for a moment, entranced with watching her climb onto the train. Draco shook his head, and boarded as well, finding his usual compartment with Crabbe and Goyle.

As the train barreled down the tracks towards Hogwarts, Draco flung open the door to Potter's cabin, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "Well look who it is." He drawled. "Potty and the Weasel." He completely ignored Hermione, not being able to bring himself to look at her. He knew her face would show the fury and disappointment that the summer had undoubtedly caused her. He only taunted Potter and Weasley for a moment though before a stirring in the corner caught his eye.

"New teacher." Potter said, and with a look of annoyance, Draco departed. Only moments after returning to his cabin, the train screeched to a halt, and everything went black.

"What's happening?" Draco asked, a slight note of panic in his voice.

But then, before he could say anything else, a wave of misery swept over him, accompanied by an icy chill. Hermione did hate him. He knew it. He knew she would never want to see him again. And why would she? Why would she waste time on Draco when she was best friends with the famous Potter. The ice had reached his bones. What could he expect anyway? No one truly loved him after all. He was just a disappointment to his father..a pathetic, weak son that his father could never be proud of..Draco's breath was freezing in his lungs. He knew he would never be happy again.

And then the darkness lifted just as suddenly as it came, and Draco felt a breath of warm air rush into his body, the feeling slowly returning to his numb fingers. He heard people shouting along the corridor of the train about Dementors being on board. He was nothing short of ecstatic when the train finally pulled into the Hogsmeade station, and they were allowed to depart.

Draco found the first day of classes as dull as ever. He had a few new classes this year, which, in the case of Care of Magical Creatures class, meant spending even more unwanted time with the Gryffindors. He like the idea of having classes with Hermione, but Potter's presence always brought out the worst in Draco. He knew Hermione hated the way Draco treated her friends, but he just couldn't help himself. Standing in their new class, Draco found himself becoming increasingly irritated.

"How can they let this great oaf teach us?" Draco sneered to Goyle, gesturing towards Hagrid. "It's ridiculous!" Goyle laughed.

Hagrid was explaining something about the hippogriff which was the object of today's lesson, but Draco's annoyance was pulling his attention away, and he wasn't listening to a word Hagrid was saying.

"When my father hears that this half-wit is teaching us, he's going to be furious." Draco just couldn't see how anyone could think Hagrid was qualified to teach.

After Potter had once again made a spectacle of himself in front of the class, the rest of them were allowed to move forward towards the creatures. Draco, a little tense, made his bow to the hippogriff, and when prompted by the creature, moved forward to pat it.

"This is very easy," Draco said, bewildered at why Potter had received such impressive responses from his classmates. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all are you?" He looked toward the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

The creature moved swifter than Draco would have imagined a creature of it's size capable. Sharp pain tore through Draco's arm and he fell to the ground in a scream of pain. The creature had slashed him! He was bleeding everywhere, his vision blurring from the pain. As he rolled on the ground, clutching his arm, he felt Hagrid lift him from the ground, and start towards the castle. The last thing Draco saw before he slipped into unconsciousness, was Hermione's concerned face as she held open the paddock gate for Hagrid.

Awakening suddenly in the hospital wing, Draco looked around to see what had startled him back into consciousness. Hermione was standing over him, her hands on her hips. Judging by the pain on the side of Draco's head, she had just given him a quick swat to wake him.

"Hermione.." He said tentatively. Draco hadn't talked to her since before the summer, and was surprised to find her at his bedside.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" She snapped.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine by the way!" Draco threw back sarcastically, lifting up his bandaged arm.

Hermione sighed. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then plopped down on the edge of his bed. "I waited for you, you know?" She said, and Draco could sense the hurt in her voice. "You broke our pact. I finally had to give up, and go spend the break with Ron and his family."

"What?" Draco said, disgusted. "You spent the summer with those peasants?" Hermione's eyes flashed with anger, and she began to stand. "No, wait! I'm sorry." Draco said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down onto the bed. "I just meant...I tried to come see you...but I couldn't get away. I was miserable this summer without you!" He stammered quickly.

Hermione gave him a skeptical stare, but in the end, she could tell that he was being genuine, and allowed him to further explain the trials of his summer break.

"Please give me another chance." Draco begged, when he had finished recounting his misery

Hermione thought for a minute, and then said slowly. "You're very lucky that I'm so forgiving."

Draco gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hermione."

They sat for another moment, and Draco saw that Hermione was staring shiftily at the floor, her hands tugging gently at the neck of her robes.

"What is it?" He asked quizzically.

"I need to tell you something.." She looked up into his eyes. "but you can't breathe a word to anyone."

Draco nodded, and Hermione pulled a small gold chain from beneath her robes. "It's a Time Turner." She explained, launching into the story of her class schedule, and the laws of time travel.

When Draco finally left the hospital wing, his spirits were surprisingly high. With Hermione's new ability to time travel, she had promised to meet Draco any time he needed her. Draco was excited at the thought of being able to spend more time with Hermione this year.

Over the next couple of months, true to her word, Hermione met Draco almost every day. They had discovered an abandoned classroom that they suspected had once been used as a Prefect's lounge, and made it their regular meeting place. Though it was dusty, it was comfortable enough, with large overstuffed armchairs, and small tables holding forgotten books and quills. Draco was happier than he had been in a long time. He had missed Hermione's friendship. As time went on, he could tell that Hermione was becoming increasingly exhausted. Draco knew she had a very demanding schedule, and there were times when she would curl up in an armchair, unable to even keep her eyes open. Draco didn't mind though. Just her presence calmed him, and he didn't mind sitting beside her while she slept, sneaking glances at the way her wild curls flowed around her soft features. He had never really thought of Hermione's appearance before, but he supposed she was rather pretty.

When Hermione was able to keep herself awake, she complained about her friends. Christmas had come and gone, and Hermione was fighting with Potter and Weasley. This brought a smile to Draco's face every time Hermione brought up the subject.

"It's not funny." Hermione insisted. "I'm just trying to look out for Harry! That broom could have been sent by Sirius Black!"

"Who cares Hermione?" Draco rolled his eyes. "If Black wants to kill Potter, I doubt anyone's going to be able to stop him."

Hermione scowled at him. "Thanks for the reassurance." She snapped.

"Oh, come on Hermione." Draco said sitting up properly in the armchair he had been lounging in. "Let's not talk about stupid Potter anymore. There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up. Since you're not talking to your friends, why don't we meet up in the village?"

Reluctantly, Hermione agreed, and three days later, she was pushing open the door to a filthy, run down bar at the far edge of town.

"Why are we meeting here?" Hermione asked with a less than subtle look of disgust on her face.

"Well obviously we can't just stroll into the Three Broomsticks together, now can we?" Draco rolled his eyes. "There's nothing really wrong with the Hogshead...just a bit on the dodgy side isn't it?" He added, casting a weary eye at a scraggly little witch in the corner.

Draco ordered them some Butterbeer. It felt strange to be sitting with Hermione in public. He was so used to sneaking around, and meeting in secret. He vaguely wondered if they would ever be able to reveal their friendship. After a couple of hours Hermione insisted that she had to be going, and Draco headed off a few minutes later to meet with Crabbe and Goyle. Together, the three of them stalked off toward the Shrieking Shack. Weasley had been spotted heading alone in that direction, and Draco thought it might be a bit of a laugh to taunt him without Potter's presence. How wrong Draco was, for just as he was cruelly remarking about the potential fate of the hippogriff that slashed him, a large splat of mud hit him in the back of the head.

"What the?" Draco tried to stop the mud from dripping down his face, suddenly feeling angry and a little frightened. He, Crabbe and Goyle stumbled around, not understanding what was happening. He looked up just in time to see Potter's head floating in midair. Draco let out a scream, and barreled down the hill away from the house.

Back in the castle, Draco paced the floor in front of Hermione, his insides on fire. "You're friend is a right foul git!" He spat, his nostrils flaring. "Always trying to make a fool of me! I'll show him!" Draco swore loudly, clenching his fists.

Hermione took a step towards him. "Draco, please calm down!" She grabbed his shoulder.

"Get off me!" In his fury, Draco spun around and shoved her away from him. Perhaps a little rougher than he meant to because Hermione was knocked off balance and hit the floor hard. Draco turned away, too angry to apologize. Hermione jumped to her feet, and Draco heard the door slam shut behind him as she exited angrily.

It had been weeks, and Hermione had not spoken to Draco, though she did shoot him angry looks every time she passed him in the corridor. Draco knew he had messed up, but he didn't care. His anger at her friends was consuming him, and every time he saw her with them, he felt his annoyance extend to include her too. He hated everything about Potter and everyone who worshiped him. He couldn't help but find a twisted sort of pleasure when anyone from Potter's circle was upset.

"Look at him blubber!" Draco laughed, as he watched Hagrid hurry back to his hut, spilling gigantic tears down his front. "Have you ever seen anything so pathetic?"

Potter and Weasley made angry movements toward Draco, but before they could reach him, Hermione lunged forward and struck him hard across the face. Draco staggered backward in complete shock.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic! You foul...you evil.." Hermione's eyes were filled with fire.

He tried to compose himself, but Hermione was drawing her wand and pointing it at his chest.

"C'mon," Draco said to Crabbe and Goyle, and they hurried off toward the dungeons.

It turned out that Hermione wasn't going to let Draco off that easily, for only a moment later, as Draco passed by a corridor hidden by a tapestry, Hermione's arm shot out and yanked him in by his robes. She pushed him against the wall, and Draco could see her Time Turner bouncing outside the front of her robes.

"Hermione, what the hell?" Draco snapped quietly, realizing that Crabbe and Goyle were clearly thicker than he thought as they had simply kept walking, oblivious to his sudden disappearance.

"How can you be so foul?" Hermione snapped. "You need to learn how to control yourself!"

Draco gave her a shocked expression. "Control myself?" He yelled. "You just punched me in the face! You call that controlling yourself?"

Hermione glared at him. "You deserved it!" She screamed at him, pushing him hard in the chest. Draco's anger flared up inside him at her touch.

He grabbed both of her wrists and braced himself against her, his face only inches from her's. He saw a small flicker of fear cross her face at his anger and proximity, and it gave him a small satisfied feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Calm yourself down!" He said spat, giving her a little shake before releasing her. "Then come find me." He added quietly as he disappeared back behind the tapestry.

Back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was prodded awake by Harry.

"Why didn't you come to Charms?" He asked her.

"What? Oh No!" She had been so flustered when Draco left her that she had stormed back to Gryffindor Tower to clear her head. She must have fallen asleep. "I forgot to go to Charms!" How could she be so stupid.

"You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione gave a frustrated sigh. "It was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"

On the verge of tears, Hermione stormed out of the common room. Draco had told her to come find him, so she was sure he would be waiting in their abandoned classroom. She opened the door tentatively, hoping Draco was no longer angry. He was sitting in an armchair, his arms crossed, and a sour look on his face. Hermione approached him.

"We can't fight anymore." She said quietly. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "It's just...this is too hard. I'm exhausted, and worn out, and I've accidentally missed a class!" Her eyes were quickly filling up with tears. "And if I'm fighting with you too, it's just going to be too much!" Her voice was high and shaky.

Draco gave a resigned sigh. They had both done and said some horrible things to each other. He knew she was overworked, and emotional, and truth be told, he wanted the fighting to be over too. Getting to his feet, he pulled her into a tight hug. He awkwardly patted her hair as she cried, deciding that for the remaining few weeks of school, he would make sure that he was not the cause of any more tears she shed.


	6. Chapter 6 -Fourth Year at Hogwarts

Draco felt himself growing slightly tense as he stood in the Top Box of the Quidditch world cup. His father surveyed Hermione sternly. The look on his father's face said it all. If he had a problem with the blood-traitorous Weasley family, it was nothing to the way he clearly felt about Hermione. Hermione stared back determinedly. Draco felt a little proud of her. He coward in the heat of his father's judgmental stare. Lucius's face crawled with disgust at the sight of Hermione. A filthy mudblood in the Top Box. Exciting as the Quidditch game was, Draco found it hard not to let his eyes wander to the seats in front of him. He would much rather watch her, while she watched the Quidditch game. It had been another summer of rare encounters between the two good friends. Draco couldn't help but notice how kind the summer had been to Hermione.

As Draco lay in his tent after the match, listening to people celebrating, his thoughts were interrupted by a crude voice outside the tent.

"Come Lucius." It croaked. "Let us show them who they should truly fear."

Draco sat up as his father's face appeared in the doorway.

"Draco." He said curtly. "Go wait in the woods. We will come collect you in a little while." He gave a sickening smile, conjuring a mask out of thin air. "There is a lesson that must be taught tonight." Lucius was gone in an instant.

Draco felt a little anxious, climbing down from bed. He knew exactly what was going on, and he couldn't help but agree with his father. The filthy mudbloods and blood traitors he had seen at the match had disgusted him. Though, he also knew that the exception of Hermione that Draco held secretly in his heart would mean nothing to his father.

Out in the woods, Draco caught sight of her, rushing through the trees with Potter and Weasley. Weasley tripped and fell to the ground. "What an idiot." Draco thought to himself. "And that is the guy who's here to protect Hermione?"

Draco stepped out from behind a tree. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along now?" he yelled, hoping he sounded casual. "You wouldn't like her spotted would you?" He nodded toward Hermione, hoping they would take the hint and run.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione jumped in defiantly.

"Do you want to be showing off your knickers in midair?" He looked at her pointedly, "because if you do, hang around..."

Finally, after a few more arguments from Potter and Weasley, Hermione seemed to see through Draco's cool exterior. They made eye contact, and Draco knew she understood the danger he was secretly trying to convey to her. His father was one of the masked menaces, and he would surely recognize Hermione as a muggle-born.

"Oh, come on." She said to the others and they hurried along.

"Keep that big bushy head down Granger," Malfoy called after them.

The return to school was exciting to say the least. Draco's father had informed him all about the Tri-Wizard Tournament that was to be held at the school this year. Draco took no pause in taunting Potter and Weasley with the fact that he had knowledge that they didn't, laughing as he watched their tiny brains try to string together the hints he was dropping about the tournament.

As in previous years though, Draco soon realized that he would once again be the target of humiliation. The first incident came only a few days into the term. Admittedly, Draco had been taunting Weasley regarding an article in The Daily Prophet in which Weasley's father made an appearance. However, things quickly turned against Draco, when Potter retorted with a cruel remark about Draco's mother. Anger boiled up inside of Draco.

"Don't you dare insult my mother Potter!" He shouted, sending a jinx in Potter's direction, and missing.

Before Draco could make a second attempt, there was a shout, and pain shot through Draco's body. Suddenly, he was seeing the corridor at an entirely different angle. He looked around furiously at the shoes of his classmates, and quickly realized that he had been transformed into a small rodent. Crabbe ran forward to help Draco, but Mad Eye Moody, having been the one who transformed Draco, gave a shout and Crabbe retreated. Draco was suddenly very frightened, he heard a terrified squeak come out of his mouth as he tried to scurry away towards the dungeons. Before he could get far however, he was thrown up into the air by an invisible force, the room spinning around him. Up and down he went, smashing hard into the stone floor upon each return. Professor McGonagall came running towards him and with a loud snapping noise, Draco found himself crumpled on the floor in human form again. Even more furious than before, Draco got to his feet. His whole body was killing him from the repetitive contact with the stone floor. Draco winced as Mad Eye Moody grabbed his arm, and pulled him towards the dungeons in search of Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House.

Hermione filed into the Great Hall along with Harry and Ron, and sat at the Gryffindor table. "He could have really hurt Malfoy though." She said as Harry and Ron laughed about what they had just witnessed. She knew that she needed to make sure Draco was alright, and began to shovel down her food at top speed so she could go find him.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening? Harry said, staring at her.

"Got to." Hermione said through a mouthful of food. "Loads to do." She knew that the easiest way to get away from Harry and Ron long enough to see Draco, was to tell them she was going to the library. They hated studying, and avoided that part of the castle at all costs. Within five minutes, Hermione had finished her plate, and departed.

An hour later, Draco was laying across an overstuffed love-seat in the abandoned classroom that he and Hermione had become accustomed to meeting in. Hermione had allowed him to lay his head on her lap, and was sitting in silence, watching him tentatively. She wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better, but just her presence seemed to help a little. Draco had his arm thrown over his eyes, pressing the bridge of his nose into the crook of his elbow, and trying to forget the events of the day. His whole body was bruised, and even just laying there was causing him pain. After a few moments, Draco sighed, removing his arm from his face, but keeping his eyes closed. He was too humiliated to look at Hermione, and was glad that she wasn't pressing him to talk to her. Hermione absentmindedly brushed a strand of blonde hair off of Draco's forehead, and he felt a strange tightening feeling somewhere in his gut.

Before anyone knew it, Hogwarts was joined by the two other participating schools, and the selection process for the Tri-Wizard tournament began. As each school champion was announced, Draco stared in furious confusion, along with the rest of the school, as Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire. How is that even possible? Draco thought to himself. He was livid. There had been age restrictions set in place, and somehow Potter had still found a way to become a hero. Potter was always breaking rules, and always getting rewarded for it.

"How did he do it?" Draco asked Hermione angrily when he finally saw her on her own.

Hermione shook her head, baffled. "I don't know.." She said. "He told me that he didn't do it."

"Yeah, well even Weasley doesn't believe that, does he?" Draco had noticed that Hermione was being forced to go between the two of them, as it appeared Potter and Weasley weren't talking to each other.

The news article about the tournament had been released, and Draco sneered as he read the ridiculous things Potter was saying about himself.

"He thinks he's such a little hero doesn't he?" Draco crumpled the paper and threw it away from him. "Everyone just worships him!"

"He didn't say those things in the paper." Hermione insisted defiantly. "He didn't even want an interview. Harry doesn't ask for this attention you know. He would be much happier without it."

The first task was now over. Potter had excelled, and even Draco couldn't help but be a little impressed. The topic of conversation had now turned to the upcoming Yule Ball. Draco sat in the Slytherin common room, thinking back on the conversation he had just had with Hermione, in which she revealed that she had agreed to go to the ball with none other than Victor Krum. Draco's heart sank a little at this news, though he had no idea why. It's not as if he could have taken her anyway, even if he had wanted to. He looked around the room. He had to take someone though. He would look like a fool if he showed up alone. His eyes fell on Pansy Parkinson. She had always had a thing for Draco, following him like a lost puppy, laughing more than necessary at any joke he made. Draco rather liked Pansy as a person. He certainly liked the attention she game him, and he supposed she wasn't bad looking.

"Hey Pansy," he called across the room.

She looked up, and smiled when she saw that it had been he who had said her name.

"Let's go to the Yule Ball together." He said. It wasn't a question, because he already knew how she would respond.

Her face flushed, and Draco had to refrain from rolling his eyes. "I would love to go with you Draco."

The night of the Yule ball arrived, and Draco departed the dungeons with Pansy, both adorned with their best dress robes. As they reached the entrance hall Draco's jaw dropped, and his stomach did an uncomfortable back flip. Hermione entered the Yule Ball on the arm of Victor Krum, looking more beautiful than anything Draco had ever seen. He watched her walk by and she caught his eye, smiling slightly as she passed. When Draco finally tore his eyes away from her, he threw a glance at the girl on his own arm. Why was he standing here with Pansy, when he should be arm in arm with Hermione? He couldn't keep his eyes off her the entire night. She was dancing with Krum. Finally, Draco saw her break away, and head out into the entrance hall for some air. Stealing the opportunity to talk to her, Draco swiftly ditched Pansy, and followed Hermione out. She was standing on the castle steps leaning against the large frame of the open front doors, clutching a stitch in her side and panting slightly. She turned as he reached her side and her face lit up.

"Draco!" She said with a smile. "Oh, isn't tonight wonderful? I'm having so much fun, but I just needed a moment of fresh air to catch my breath."

Draco couldn't help but smile. "You're beautiful." He said in a quiet voice.

Hermione blushed. "Oh." She said and giggled a little "Thank you."

"Come on." Draco said grabbing her hand and pulling her out into the beautifully enchanted grounds. "Just for a minute."

He pulled her between the shrubbery and over to a secluded corner beneath a tree that was sparkling with live fairies. He held both of her hands in his as he faced her.

"You're my best friend you know." He said smiling.

She let out a little laugh, "Of course I know that. You're mine as well."

Draco involuntarily reached up and brushed a stray hair from Hermione's face and she froze. Draco however, didn't drop his hand from her face. Hermione's gaze shifted and Draco could sense her discomfort.

"Hermione, you're.." he began, wanting to explain the millions of thoughts running through his head. Clogging up his brain, and making it feel fuzzy.

Hermione tried to step back, but she had nowhere to go with her back against the tree. She shook her head the tiniest bit. The movement was small enough that Draco could pretend he hadn't seen it. Leaning in, Draco pressed his lips softly against her's. He felt her tense for a moment, but then she relaxed into his kiss. Draco, with one hand still holding Hermione's face, released her hand with his other, and slid it around her, pressing it firmly against her lower back, pulling her closer to him. He felt Hermione's hands clasp the front of his robes as the kiss deepened and his lower stomach flipped again. But then, just as he thought Hermione was pulling him closer, her movement changed and he felt her firm open palm against his chest, pushing him away instead. Draco's eyes opened an inch from Hermione's face. He gave her a questioning look, and she sighed, looking down at her hands, now clasped in front of her.

Draco took a step back, his hands falling to his sides. "Hermione?"

"No, Draco." Hermione was looking at everything but him. "No." She repeated softly "we can't."

"Hermione, you mean more to me than anyone. I-" He croaked.

"I know." She said, cutting him off. "and Draco..I won't pretend that I haven't thought about it." Her face was flushed. "But you know this can't work...it's not possible."

Draco reached towards her, but Hermione ducked under his arm, and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Draco feeling very much alone, and not entirely sure that his heart was even still beating.

Draco looked for Hermione as the stands filled for the second task. He hadn't spoken to her since the ball, and he knew she was avoiding him out of sheer awkwardness. Hermione didn't arrive however, and Draco watched as the four champions dove into the freezing cold lake. Once they were no longer visible, the crowd began to murmur, and Draco caught bits of conversation throughout the stands, each talking about the task.

"Did you hear?" Pansy dropped down in the seat next to him.

"Hear what?" Draco said, with a slight air of annoyance.

"They've got people down there." She said wide-eyed, gesturing to the lake. "That's what the champions are after. Potter is supposed to be retrieving Weasley, and get this, Krum has got to save Granger!" She gave a screech of laughter. "I hope they all drown down there."

Draco's heart gave a hard thump, and his hands began to grow clammy as he took in this news. Hermione was at the bottom of the lake? His stomach was in knots. Draco sat in tense silence. His eyes fixed on the glassy waters. Finally, Krum surfaced, holding Hermione around the waist, and Draco could breathe again.

"Has anything ever happened between you and Potter?" Draco blurted out. He and Hermione were sitting in the library together, hidden among the shelves at the very back where students hardly ever went.

Hermione looked up at him, surprised. "What?"

Draco hesitated. "I mean...that article," referring to the recently published article Rita Skeeter had written, accusing Hermione of seducing Potter and Krum with love potions. "There's no basis for it? Is there?"

Hermione snapped her book shut. "Don't be ridiculous Draco, of course there's not." She looked a little annoyed. "That horrid Skeeter woman is just trying to get back at me for standing up to her."

"So, what about Krum then?" Draco watched her carefully.

"What about him?" She asked, her brow furrowed a little.

"Well does he really feel that way about you? Are you going to go visit him this summer?" Draco was trying to sound casual about it, but he knew Hermione wasn't buying it.

"Well he did ask me." She said, her face flushing a little. "But I haven't given him an answer."

The school year was almost over, and Draco was growing more and more irritated with Potter's growing fame. Draco took every chance he could to mock Potter and in a pathetic attempt to humiliate Potter more, Draco even spoke to Rita Skeeter herself as she wrote more articles about the famous Boy Who Lived. Draco knew Hermione wouldn't like it, but it made Draco feel better to see Potter laughed at as he walked down the corridors. What happened at the third task shocked everyone. There was screaming, and shouting, and Diggory came back dead. Dumbledore announced that The Dark Lord had returned. Draco wondered if it were true. And if it was, what would that mean for his family? He knew that his parents had always been supporters of the Dark Lord's cause. Life as Draco knew it may be changing rather quickly if he had indeed returned.

As the students departed at the end of the term, Draco couldn't help but notice Hermione being pulled away from the crown by Victor Krum. Though he knew he would probably regret it, curiosity consumed him, and Draco peered around the corner after them. With a spark of jealousy, Draco watched as Krum held Hermione close, kissing her goodbye. Hermione didn't push Krum away, as she had pushed Draco. In his heart, Draco knew that circumstances would not allow for him to see Hermione this summer. This time, it would be she who broke their pact.


	7. Chapter 7 -Fifth Year at Hogwarts

As Draco predicted, he saw nothing of his friend during the summer months, though he hardly would have had time for her even if she had tried to see him. To the delight of his parents, Draco had been made a Prefect, and had received a badge along with his school list. His father smiled at him in a proud sort of way when Draco told him. He seemed to be gaining a level of respect from his father that he hadn't previously known, though when Lucius' temper flared, he was still as vicious as ever. But he seemed to regard Draco as more of an adult now, and included him in conversations Draco would previously have been shunned from. To Draco's delight, his father told him the news that Harry Potter had used magic outside of school, and that he was now required to attend a hearing to decide his fate regarding expulsion from Hogwarts. Draco hoped and prayed that Potter would be expelled. He longed for a Hogwarts without the so-called hero's presence. His hopes however, were crushed when he arrived at Platform 9 ¾ to find Potter loading his luggage onto the train.

Draco headed down the corridor to the Prefect's compartment. As he knew would be the case, Hermione had been made Prefect for Gryffindor, and so, to his disgust had Weasley. The Head Boy and Head Girl were giving the Prefects instructions on their responsibilities, but Draco wasn't listening. He was taking in every detail of Hermione as she paid eager attention to her obligations. Draco's father had mentioned to him that there were big changes taking place at Hogwarts this year, and along with those changes, Draco doubted very much that he would be able to see much of Hermione. Draco's gaze shifted to see that Weasley was watching Hermione intently as well, a strange expression on his face. Draco suddenly felt very possessive of her, and wished very much that he could make his friendship with her known.

Over the next few weeks, Draco paid close attention to the Daily Prophet. He knew that his father had begun some kind of work for the Dark Lord, though he didn't know the details, and was becoming increasingly concerned for his father's safety. Article after article was released, regarding trespassing, and odd occurrences at the ministry, and though none mentioned his father, he knew that his father was still involved. Draco finally received a letter from his father, but was disappointed to see that it was only a few lines.

Draco,

The changes I anticipated are soon to be taking place at Hogwarts. It will be announced in tomorrow's Prophet that Dolores Umbridge will be appointed as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. You are to be obedient to her, and do everything she asks of you. She is a friend to our cause.

Sincerely,

Lucius

Sure enough, the article was released, and Educational Decrees began being posted, limiting the freedom of the Hogwarts students. Draco didn't necessarily agree with many of them, but he honored his father's demand, and showed allegiance to Umbridge. The one thing Draco did like about Umbridge was that she didn't seem to think much of Potter either, and kept landing him in detention night after night.

Hermione and Draco didn't see much of each other throughout the first term, only meeting briefly once, at which time Draco thoroughly angered Hermione. She had told him of an organization she had founded in the support of House Elf rights, and Draco responded with a scathing look.

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." He laughed.

Hermione didn't take to kindly to his response, and had not returned to their classroom.

To Draco's delight, Weasley had been appointed Keeper on the Gryffindor team, and was utter rubbish. Draco took no time in finding new ways to mock Weasley, which caused his performance to considerably decline. Despite Weasley's dreadful performance though, Potter still managed to snatch the snitch right before Draco, causing the win to go to Gryffindor. Draco was white with fury.

"Saved Weasley's neck haven't you?" He spat as he landed on the ground at the end of the match. "I've never seen a worse Keeper.." He laughed cruelly as he began making reference to the hilarious song he and the other Slytherins had created to sing during the match.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Draco called as Potter turned his back on him. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly..we wanted to sing about his mother, see..we couldn't fit in useless loser either..for his father you know." Draco laughed again.

Not only did he have Potter's attention now, but half of the Gryffindor team. Draco continued his mockery. He knew that he was getting to them when he saw Potter grab one of the Weasley twins in restraint. Draco felt a cool satisfaction inside. However, as usual, he allowed himself to go one too far when he made a nasty comment about Potter's dead mother. Before he knew what was happening both Potter and the Weasley twin were on top of him, punching every inch of him they could. Draco felt hot blood gush onto his face as he took a hard blow to the nose. People were shouting, and a whistle was blowing, and with two against one, Draco couldn't seem to do anything to defend himself. A spell was shot at them, and Draco felt relief as the other two boys were forced off of him. As they were marched away, Draco was left, laying on the ground with everyone's eyes on him.

Draco was exhausted. He sat on the edge of the swimming pool sized tub in the Prefect's bathroom waiting for it to fill with thick sudsy water. He disrobed, and lowered himself into the steamy water, the heat instantly relaxing his tense and sore muscles. He closed his eyes, and put his head back, trying to forget that his inability to keep his mouth shut had caused him only more humiliation today. He sighed as he heard the door open, but kept his eyes closed. The whole reason he had come so late in the evening was on the hopes that he would be able to bathe without anyone disturbing him.

He heard a small voice, "Draco?"

His eyes opened, and he was startled to see Hermione standing on the far edge of the sunken tub, looking pointedly at the ceiling.

"Hermione, what the hell?" He sat up straight, feeling self conscious, though at the back of his mind, he knew that the bubbles floating on top of the water were so thick that it made it impossible to see anything below the surface. "How did you get in here? This is the boys room" He looked around wildly.

"Um..well they use the same password for both Prefect's bathrooms." She said, her face turning slightly pink. "the founders had more faith in girl's apparently, because we're also able to get into the boy's dorms."

Draco stared at her, completely lost for words. He was unbelievably aware of his naked body, and was grateful that she had yet to look in his direction.

"I just wanted to talk to you, and I knew this would be the only time you'd be alone." He thought he could sense a slight tone of anger in her voice, and assumed she was about to scold him for the events of that afternoon. "I thought I might have been able to catch you before...before you actually...got in...the bath.."she added awkwardly.

At that moment, there was a shrill wail, and Moaning Myrtle came soaring out of one of the faucets looking livid.

"Unbelievable!" She whined at them. "You've ruined my evening, you stupid girl!" She cried at Hermione.

"Myrtle!" Draco shouted "Were you watching me?"

She let out a cackle. "Just because I can't touch, doesn't mean I don't like to look!" She turned on Hermione. "That is until YOU had to come in and ruin the party! Ugh"

Myrtle soared quickly at Hermione's face which caused her to jump, and lose footing. In an instant, Hermione had slipped off the tub's edge, and plunged into the soapy water.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted, rushing towards her through the bubbles.

Her head broke the surface, coughing and choking, struggling to push her soaking wet hair out of her eyes. Draco's arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her upright so she could catch her breath.

"Get out of here Myrtle!" He yelled at the ghost, and with another wail, she soared back up the faucet and out of sight. "Are you alright?" Draco asked as Hermione found her footing.

"Yes," she said, still coughing. "I'm fine."

There was a moment of silence, as Hermione looked up at him. Draco became suddenly aware of how very close they were. Her face was only inches from his, and his arms were still wrapped around her. Draco awkwardly released her, and took a step back, becoming red at the thought of his still naked body. Hermione, just as red as he was, struggled to pull herself out of the tub, heavy wet robes weighing her down.

"There's extra towels in the cupboard." He said, not able to meet her eyes.

Hermione went to retrieve a towel, returning to see that Draco had climbed out of the tub while her back was turned. A towel was wrapped firmly around his waist, but Hermione looked away in embarrassment at the sight of his bare chest and abs. She had never noticed, but Draco, though lean, was quite toned. His muscles dripped with water as he ran his hand through his wet blonde hair.

"Here." Draco said, throwing a pair of gray sweatpants and an emerald green sweater at her. "I'll just put my robes back on."

Hermione stood for moment looking uncomfortably at Draco.

"Don't worry," he said with a small smirk. "I won't look at you if you don't look at me."

Hermione nodded, and they turned their backs on each other. Draco dropped his towel, and pulled his robes over his head. When he was finished, he stayed facing the wall. He could hear Hermione removing her wet robes and throwing them into a pile on the floor. After a few moments Hermione said okay, and he turned back to face her. She was now dressed in his sleep clothes, which were quite big on her, forcing Draco to notice how dainty she really was.

"So, you uh..you came here to talk to me?" Draco said looking at her.

Hermione burst out laughing, all her anger forgotten, and Draco quickly joined in, thankful that she wasn't reprimanding him. The two friends left the bathroom, and making sure there was no one around to see them, made their way to their usual room. For a moment, as they sat on the large armchairs laughing, Draco felt as though they were kids again. Two best friends sitting at the edge of their pond. They talked and talked, until they could no longer keep their eyes open, and sleep claimed them. Draco awoke in the morning, slightly confused before he realized where he was. He looked around, but Hermione had already gone.

Christmas was almost upon them, and Draco was much happier than he had been in quite a while. He had been able to spend some time with Hermione, and Potter had been given a life-time ban from Quidditch. Draco tried to see Hermione again before they departed the castle, but he only caught a glimpse of her as she was rushed away by Professor McGonagall, a panicked look on both of their faces. The holiday came and went with no complaints from Draco. His father had confided in him that the Dark Lord's plan would soon be fulfilled. Though they had encountered some problems along the way, Lucius was confident that he would be able to prove his worth to the Dark Lord. Shortly after returning to Hogwarts, Draco found another surprise when he opened the Daily Prophet to see his aunt's face staring back at him. "MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN" the headline read. Draco felt an ounce of excitement. He had not known his aunt since he was very young. She had been in Azkaban most of his life, but Draco's mother spoke of her often, and Draco longed to see the happiness that had been absent from his mother's eyes for quite some time.

Draco had now been hand-selected by Professor Umbridge, along with a few other trustworthy, and pure-blood students to enforce her rules as members of her Inquisitorial Squad. To Draco's delight, this gave him the ability to dock House points, and was giving him an increasing sense of power. The job became increasingly difficult however, due to the students apparent lack of respect for authority. Chaos ensued. Dung bombs were dropped frequently in the corridors, one corridor had been completely turned into a swamp, and a miraculous firework display in the entrance hall marked the departure of the Weasley Twins. Finally, shortly after their O.W.L.S, Draco found success when Professor Umbridge summoned him, saying that her office had been broken into. They ran to the office, and threw the door opened to see Potter on the ground with his head in the fireplace, clearly speaking with someone through the Floo network. Hermione, who was standing by the window jumped and tried to send a jinx in their direction. Millicent Bulstrode reached Hermione before Draco could, and pinned her against the wall. Umbridge had pulled Potter from the fireplace by his hair, and on her orders, Draco reached inside Potter's robes and retrieved his wand. A few other members of the Inquisitorial Squad entered the room, pulling along some of Potter's other friends. As Umbridge questioned Potter, Draco allowed his eyes to wander to Hermione. He wished that he was the one holding her. At least he would have been gentler than Millicent was being. Just as Umbridge was about to curse Potter, Hermione began to sob. Millicent backed away from her, looking disgusted. Hermione sat down covering her face, and began to confess everything that Umbridge wished to know. Draco however, looked at Hermione suspiciously. He had witnessed her crying enough times to know that something was different this time. He wasn't convinced that her sobs were genuine.

"Weapon?" Umbridge said in excitement, repeating what Hermione had just said. "You've been developing some method of resistance?" Umbridge straightened up. "Lead me to the weapon." She said to Hermione.

Hermione looked at Draco through her fingers, thinking quickly. If she was going to lead Umbridge into a trap, she couldn't allow Draco to accompany them. She hated what he was involved in, but she didn't want him to get hurt. "I'm not showing them!" Hermione cried.

"It is not for you to set conditions." Professor Umbridge said harshly.

Hermione needed to adjust her tactic. "Fine." She said. "Let them see it, I hope they use it on you!"

That seemed to change Umbridge's mind, and she looked around hastily at the Slytherins. "Alright dear, let's make it just you and me...and we'll take Potter too shall we? Get up now."

"Professor," Draco said quickly. He couldn't allow Hermione to go searching for a dangerous weapon in the presence of Umbridge with no wand, and only Potter to protect her. "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after-"

Professor Umbridge cut him off. "I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?"

Draco could do nothing but watch Hermione leave the room, followed by Potter and Professor Umbridge. Draco looked out the window, and saw the three of them heading towards the Forbidden Forest. They waited in anticipation, but Hermione and the others did not return. Suddenly there was a scuffle in the corner of the room and a stunning spell shot towards Crabbe, who toppled over as it made contact with his chest. Draco jumped to his feet as his Slytherin comrades began to tussle with their captives. Before Draco could send out his own stunning spell, a well aimed hex from the Weasley girl hit him square in the face, and he fell to the floor screaming in anguish as great flapping things covered him. By the time Draco had managed the counter-curse, the Slytherins were alone in the room, all looking a little worse for wear.

Draco huffed back to his dormitory, a mixture of anger and anxiety filling him. Hermione had not returned from the forest, but Draco could do nothing but wait hopelessly, until finally sleep claimed him.

The end of term brought even more chaos to Draco's life. His father had been arrested, along with a few other Death Eaters who had been caught trespassing in the Department of Mysteries. Draco feared what this would mean for himself and his mother. The Dark Lord was not the most forgiving. Draco headed home already feeling defeated, dreading what new horrors the summer would bring.


	8. Chapter 8 -Sixth Year at Hogwarts

Draco spent every day in fear. His father had been arrested, and his family was being punished for it. The Dark Lord had taken up residence in Malfoy Manor. Draco couldn't sleep, but his nightmares were nothing compared to his waking moments. His mother feared for him. He had been assigned a task by the Dark Lord. One that everyone seemed doubtful that he could complete.

Draco was broken from his thoughts by a small sound. He was laying on his bed in Malfoy Manor, longing for the four poster bed that was waiting for him at Hogwarts. At least he would be able to sleep safely once he returned to school. Draco stood and tentatively cracked his bedroom door. He could hear the noise more clearly now. He crept down the hall, and realized that the sound was coming from his mother's bedroom. She was crying. Draco pushed open his mother's door, and saw her sitting, huddled on the floor in front of her lit fireplace. She was usually such a strong woman, it was rare that Draco saw this kind of emotion from her. He crouched down next to her and put his arms around her shoulders.

"Mother?" He said quietly.

"Draco," she sobbed, throwing her arms around him. "My baby..my Draco.." She held him tighter than she ever had before. Draco knew that she was afraid she would never be able to hold him like this again.

"Mother.." Draco started softly, "I'll be fine. You don't need to worry."

"The Dark Lord is punishing us." She whimpered "We will all suffer now for your father's mistakes." She looked up at him and held his face in her hands. "You are brave, my son. I know you'll do well, but I still fear for you."

She gave him a kiss on his forehead, and resumed hugging him, crying softly.

Seeing his mother so upset made Draco's fear increase slightly, but at the same time, it gave him a new motivation. He would prove himself to her, and the Dark Lord. He would make up for his father's mistakes, and bring honor to their family. Draco went to sleep with this new resolution floating repeatedly across his thoughts.

The following day, Draco and his mother rose early, and set off for Diagon Ally, to get his school supplies. As he was getting fitted for new robes in Madam Malkin's, he caught his first sight of Hermione, walking past the window. His heart dropped. It was too dangerous now for Draco to spend time with her. He had spent his whole summer arguing with himself about it. He longed now, more than ever to be close to her. He needed her for support. But he knew that the Dark Lord wouldn't hesitate to kill her in a second if he found out what she meant to him. The Dark Lord had ways of knowing what people were thinking. Draco had even gone so far as to ask his aunt Bellatrix to teach him some Occlumency in the hopes that he would be able to hide Hermione from the Dark Lord completely. A moment later, Draco heard the bell on the front door tinkle as Hermione entered the shop with Potter and Weasley. As an added precaution, Draco had finally convinced himself that in order to keep her safe, to keep her away from him, he would have to spare no thought on her feelings, and treat her the same way he was expected to treat any mudblood.

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," Draco drawled as his eyes drifted over the three of them, coming to a rest on Hermione, who was sporting a black eye. Draco couldn't help but feel a jolt of concern for her.

Fighting back that feeling, he sneered "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."

Draco exchanged a few more angry words with Potter, before pushing past them and exiting the store, already feeling his hatred for Potter creeping up inside of him.

An hour later, after collecting all of his supplies for school, Draco was sneaking off down the alleyway, hoping his mother wouldn't realize where he had gone. He ducked out of sight down Knockturn alley, and into Borgan and Burke's. Draco had a plan. He just needed to get a little more information.

The last week of holiday passed as slow as ever, with Draco barely getting any sleep. Finally he arrived on Platform 9 ¾ and boarded the train, not even bothering to go to the Prefect's carriage for instructions. He didn't want to see Hermione. Though he did catch a glimpse of her as she passed his compartment with Weasley, he merely shot a filthy hand gesture at Weasley and turned away. The day passed rather uneventfully, until Blaise Zabini returned to the compartment from lunch with the new Professor Slughorn. He had some difficulty closing the compartment door, and caused a bit of a commotion when he toppled over into Goyle's lap. "What a bunch of idiots." Draco thought to himself as he lay back down across two seats with his head in Pansy's lap. Draco craved any comfort he could get these days, and as Pansy brushed her fingers through Draco's hair, he pretended she was Hermione, his mind racing back to a few years prior, when Hermione had comforted him in the same way. Feeling irritated at the fact that he had not been invited to Professor Slughorn's lunch, Draco set to bragging in order to make himself feel better. He subtly hinted to his friends that he may not even be returning to Hogwarts next year, because the Dark Lord had bigger and better plans for him. Though not completely confident, Draco felt his ego inflating as he watched their awed faces. They were impressed by him, and that gave him an extra confidence boost. As he spoke though, Draco suspected that there may be an intruder in the cabin. He allowed the others to exit the train alone before closing the door and drawing the blinds.

"Petrificus Totalus!" He shouted, aiming his wand at the luggage rack.There was a sickening thud, and Potter was revealed, having fallen on the cabin floor, and unable to move.

"I thought so," Draco said, a smile creeping across his face. "I heard Goyle's trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back..." His eyes lingered for a moment upon Potter's trainers. "That was you blocking the door when Zabini came back in, I suppose?"

Draco hated Potter like no one else. He longed to humiliate Potter the way he had humiliated Draco so many times in the past. And finally, the tables had turned. He stamped hard on Potter's face, causing blood to gush out of his nose, and Draco felt a sick satisfaction.

"That's for my father." He spat angrily, before covering Potter with his own invisibility cloak and leaving him to be carried by the train back to Kings Cross Station.

Hermione sat and listened to Harry recount what he had heard Draco saying on the train. Harry was convinced that Draco had joined the Death Eaters, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to believe that Draco would actually go that far. He was a very angry person, with an unfair home life, but he wasn't bad. She was concerned though. The conversation had sounded awfully suspicious from what Harry had told them.

"I don't know." She said uncertainly. "It would be like Malfoy to make himself seem more important than he is ... but that's a big lie to tell... "

Over the next few weeks, classes progressed as usual. Much to Draco's dismay, Potter had proved to be somewhat of a genius in Potions, now that they were no longer being taught by Professor Snape. Draco began spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement, working on his plan to allow passage for the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible so he could prove his family to the Dark Lord, and perhaps feel safe again, even if just for one night. He received news from his mother that their home had been raided by the Ministry, but fortunately, they did not find anything suspicious. The Dark Lord was very good at covering his tracks. Draco breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of his mother's narrow escape from joining his father in Azkaban.

As the weeks passed and winter came, Draco's desperation was growing. His plan was taking longer than he expected it would, so he devised a new one to send a cursed necklace to the headmaster. His plan however, went horribly wrong, and landed a girl in St. Mungo's. When Draco heard the news, his stomach tightened. He didn't intend for anyone else to get hurt. Worse than that, Hermione had witnessed it. What if it had been her? Draco thought in terror.

Finally, after months of avoiding her, Draco could not be away from her any longer. He caught Hermione's arm as she walked alone from the library, pulling her behind a tapestry.

"Draco!" She said, obviously shocked.

He looked close to tears, and up close Hermione couldn't help but notice that he was looking rather sickly, as if he hadn't slept properly in a very long time. He pulled her into a very tight hug.

"I heard...that necklace.." He stuttered. "the girl...I thought it might be you..."

Hermione grabbed Draco's arms firmly and steered him off of her. "Draco, I'm alright." She said, looking into his face for the first time in months. Her heart skipped a little as their eyes met, and she could see how afraid he really was. "What's going on with you?" She questioned, a note of concern in her voice.

Draco took a step back. "Nothing." He said, still walking backwards away from her. "I just wanted to make sure...that you were alright." He turned, and disappeared out of sight, leaving Hermione more concerned about her friend than ever.

Draco refocused his efforts on repairing the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement. He spent hours there, even skipping Quidditch. After the Quidditch match, Draco having spent hours fruitlessly working, he wandered down the corridor alone, in the direction of the dungeons, where his four poster bed was waiting for him. He rounded the corner and to his disgust saw Weasley and Lavender Brown wrapped in close embrace, sucking each other's faces like some disgusting sea creatures. They took no notice of Draco, and he dodged past them as quickly and quietly as possible. He was too tired to make fun of Weasley tonight. As he walked along, he heard a noise, much like the one he had heard from his mother's bedroom many times over the summer. Someone was crying. He peered around the door frame of an empty classroom to see Hermione sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, her face in her hands. He felt sick to his stomach as his brain linked together the scene in front of him, and the one he had just witnessed. Draco wanted to walk away and pretend he hadn't seen her. He knew that it was dangerous for him to care about her, and he didn't want to comfort her over the actions of that pathetic redhead. But despite his desperate desire to run away, his feet unwillingly ventured towards her, where he knelt beside her. Hermione looked up, and her face was filled with tears.

"He's not worth it, Hermione." Draco said, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice. "Are you really crying over that idiot?"

Hermione wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Did you see them?" She said angrily. "It's disgusting."

"Why do you care?" Draco said in frustration. "You can't really be falling for that pathetic excuse of a human being, are you?"

"Stop it!" Hermione snapped. "I'm not falling for him...I just think...I just think that maybe he should use a little more discretion. I mean, who wants to look at that?"

"Oh, come on Hermione." Draco said with a slight smirk. "If you were just disappointed in his public displays you wouldn't be in tears over it."

Hermione sniffed.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other you know." Draco was doing his best to keep a hurt tone out of his voice. "As much as I don't like to admit it, I know that you've got a thing for him. "

Hermione refused to look at him. She suddenly became very interested with the hem of her robe.

"But he's not worth it you know." Draco stood, knowing that if he stayed here much longer he would not be able to contain his frustration. "He's pathetic, and he's stupid. He's not good enough for you!"

"Oh and you are?" Hermione snapped, also rising to her feet.

"I didn't say that!" Draco responded angrily. He was too tired for this. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room leaving Hermione even more upset than before.

As Christmas approached, Draco began working harder than ever. He was feeling rather ill and burned out.

"What is your plan ?" Snape said as he held Draco firmly against the wall of an abandoned classroom. Draco had just been caught by Filch coming out of the Room of Requirement, and Professor Snape was escorting him back to the dungeons.

"It's none of your business!" Draco snapped shoving Snape off of him and straightening his robes.

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you ..."

Draco laughed. "I have all the assistance I need, thanks"

Snape took a step closer to Draco "Then why not confide in me, and I can-"

"I know what you're up to!" Draco cut him off. "You want to steal my glory!"

Draco stormed away. He didn't need Snape's help. He was not going to allow Snape to take credit for his accomplishments and diminish his family even more.

Draco was happy for the solitude that the Christmas holiday brought. He remained in the castle, and continued to work despite the hopelessness that was crashing over him. He was very ill now. The stress of this task was overwhelming. He desperately tried another attempt at harming the headmaster, this time with poison. To his dismay, shortly after Christmas, it was Weasley who somehow got in the way of the plan and ingested the poison. Draco was emotionally torn when he heard of the accident. Part of him was thankful that Weasley was recovering, due to the way Hermione felt about him. Part of him wished Weasley had died, for the same reason. Draco thought about going to Hermione, to comfort her. He knew that Weasley being unconscious in the hospital wing would be taking it's toll on Hermione, but his despair was weighing too heavily on him now.

Hermione's stress levels were finally rescinding. Ron had been in the hospital wing for quite a while, but he had finally recovered and returned to normal living. As she washed her hands in the second floor girl's bathroom, she heard a little cough. Looking up, she saw Myrtle floating just above one of the cubicles.

"Hello Myrtle." Hermione said pleasantly.

"Oh, it's you, hello." Myrtle replied. "I suppose you haven't seen your boyfriend lately have you?" She smirked a little. "He's been spending so much time with me after all."

"My boyfriend?" Hermione said with a little laugh. "Look, if you mean Ron, he's not-"

"No, not that rude boy." Myrtle interrupted. "The other one..strong, and handsome...from the bathtub." She let out a little cackle.

"What?" Hermione was utterly confused. "You mean Draco?"

"Oh yes." Myrtle floated a little absent mindedly around the ceiling of the room. "But he's much happier spending time with me of course. In the boy's room upstairs. We understand each other you know."

Hermione left the bathroom, applying little thought to what Myrtle had said. It was only a few days later when Hermione was passing the boy's bathroom, and heard Myrtle's voice that her curiosity was peaked. Hermione looked around, and then slowly pushed open the bathroom door. The sight that reached Hermione's eyes made her heart break. Draco was in the corner of the room, his head leaning back against the wall, sobbing. He looked desperate, and hopeless, and seemed to be having trouble pulling himself together.

"Don't worry." Myrtle crooned. "If he does kill you, you can always come here and live with me."

Draco gave a shuttering sob and sank down onto his knees, his face buried in his hands.

"It's not just me he'll kill!" Draco whimpered, and his whole body shook.

Myrtle attempted to comfort him again, though her words only seemed to upset him more. Hermione rushed forward.

"Get away from him!" She said loudly shooing Myrtle away. "Can't you see, you're making it worse!"

"Hermione," Draco gasped as Myrtle stuck out her tongue and whizzed back down one of the toilets.

Hermione rushed to his side, pulling his trembling body close to her, and stroking the back of his hair. She held him for a few moments as he sobbed into her shoulder, his hands holding tightly to the back of her shirt. "Draco, you have to tell me what's going on!" She insisted desperately. "Please, I can help you."

Draco broke free of her grasp and stood, but did not try to hide his tears from her. "No one can help me.!" He yelled. "You just have to leave me alone!"

"No!" Hermione shouted back, as she too got to her feet. "I will not leave you alone, Draco! I care about you, and you've obviously gotten yourself mixed up with something dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt!"

Draco grabbed her arms and pushed her against the wall, holding her tight. "Don't you see?" He said in between sobs. "Caring about me is the most dangerous thing you can do! I don't want it to be this way, but it is! I have no choice."

"You always have a choice Draco!" Hermione insisted. "and I will always be here for you."

"No." Draco sobbed. "Please stay away from me, I'm too dangerous."

"What if I don't care?" Hermione snapped

"I care!" Draco's gray eyes met her brown ones. "I love you Hermione!"

"Draco.."

But before Hermione could say anything else, Draco had his hands in her hair, and he was kissing her fiercely. She didn't push him away, but was surprised to find herself returning his kiss. Something about the urgency with which he kissed her had her entranced . He took hold of one of her wrists and held it against the wall above her head, while his other hand wrapped firmly around her waist. His body was pressed up against her's. He was desperate to be close to her. For just a moment, he could make everything disappear. Brushing her hair from her face, he kissed her neck, and he heard a little gasp escape her lips as her head tilted slightly back. Hermione's hand were on his waist. He felt her fingers brush his skin just under the hem of his shirt. His lips returned to her mouth, and without warning, he felt her fingernails dig into his lower back. Draco was thinking of nothing but her. All of his panic, and desperation from the past year was being fueled into this moment alone. At the encouragement of her touch, Draco lifted Hermione into his arms, her back against the wall, and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Hermione was no longer thinking. She was consumed by Draco's passion. Her hands were now in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. His hands were running over body with a kind of hunger. Then, just as quickly as it began, Draco had released Hermione, and she dropped back to her own feet. Draco turned, panicked, his eyes filling with defeated tears again.

"I'm sorry." He said hurriedly as he stumbled backwards away from her.

"Draco," Hermione said as she reached for his hand.

Draco pulled his arm out of her reach. "No...just...I'm sorry." He turned away from her, and without another look, pulled open the bathroom door and was gone.

Draco hated himself. How could he have allowed this to happen? He had allowed his feelings for her to take control of him most violently. There was no way he would be able to hide this memory from the Dark Lord.

Over the next few weeks, Draco became more panicked than ever. The moment of weakness he had shared with Hermione weighed heavily on him making his despair worse and worse. Despite his better judgment, Draco found himself revisiting the spot where they had been together. It was there, that he was discovered. Just as the desperation was taking over him again, and his body was shaking with uncontrollable sobs, Harry Potter's face appeared in the mirror. Draco spun around, shooting curses at Potter, fury and embarrassment now joining his other emotions. Curses flashed around them as Potter responded, and a backfired jinx exploded a cistern, causing water to burst out and pour everywhere. Under cover of this distraction, Potter shouted a spell that Draco had never heard of, and he felt his body being slashed apart in excruciating pain. Draco fell to the ground gasping as blood seeped rapidly through his clothing. He splashed into the water as he collapsed backward, trying desperately to cover the wounds that has torn through his chest and face. Potter was at his side, looking shocked at what he had done, but Draco, now laying in a pool of his own blood, could not keep consciousness.

Draco had recovered, with a new determination for his cause. Though he had thought for a brief moment that he would have been perfectly happy if Potter's curse had killed him. Tonight was the night. He had finally successfully repaired the vanishing cabinet, and his family's honor was near. He used the vanishing cabinet to grant the Death Eaters access to the school, and the Draco proceeded to the tallest tower, where the Dark Mark had been set off to lure Professor Dumbledore to it. Draco burst through the door to see Dumbledore with his wand out.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco shouted, and Dumbledore's wand flew from his hand.

"Good Evening Draco." Dumbledore said calmly. Draco couldn't deny that the old wizard frightened him. If the Dark Lord himself feared him, why should Draco think that he was any sort of match for him. But Draco could not think of that now. He had to press on, no matter how much his feet wanted to run.

Dumbledore was smiling kindly at him. Didn't he understand that Draco was here to kill him? Perhaps he was unafraid of death...or simply unafraid of Draco.

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer." Dumbledore spoke softly to him.

"'How do you know?" Draco said without thinking of how childish that sounded."You don't know what I'm capable of," e continued, "you don't know what I've done!"

To his surprise, Dumbledore recited exactly what Draco had done throughout the year. The failed attempt with the necklace, and the poison. Dumbledore acted as though they were having a polite conversation over tea. Draco knew he had to do what he came here to do, and soon. He could hear a battle raging down below, but he was afraid, so he kept talking. He told Dumbledore all about how he had fixed the cabinet, and brought the Death Eaters to Hogwarts. Dumbledore praised his work, and for some reason his words made Draco feel a bit braver.

"Let's discuss your options Draco." Dumbledore said kindly.

"I haven't got any options!" said Draco, the color draining out of him "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"

"I can help you Draco," Dumbledore insisted.

"No, you can't," Draco said, trying to steady his shaking wand. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

"Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine." Dumbledore said. "What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban ... when the time comes we can protect him too ...Draco ... you are not a killer ..."

Draco could feel himself beginning to break down. He didn't want to cry in front of Dumbledore. He lowered his wand a fraction of an inch as he considered this offer. He wanted this to be over. He wanted his family to be safe. Before he could make a decision though, the door to the tower was flung open, and his decision was made for him. He was in too deep. He was a Death Eater now.

He watched in horror as Snape killed Dumbledore. He felt himself being dragged numbly back through the castle, and off into the woods. Life as he knew it was over. Through the fog that filled his brain, Hermione's face drifted forward, and he felt his heart break as he knew that he would never see her again.


	9. Chapter 9 -When the War Raged

Draco didn't know one day from the next. Each moment was filled with terror. Threats, torture, dead bodies. His nightmares were infused with images too vile to speak of aloud, and his waking moments offered much of the same. With a strange jolt, he realized that the school year had begun. How very far away Hogwarts felt. Draco lay in bed recalling a single night, weeks ago, when he thought for one brief moment that he would be able to escape, and create a new reality for himself.

He had finally been able to leave Malfoy Manor. The Dark Lord was on a mission of his own, and Draco had sneaked out. He wasn't sure that she would show, but he had risked sending her an owl. He couldn't bare the thought of never seeing her again. Draco made his way along the familiar path through the forest. It had been so long since he had ventured it that it was now overgrown. When the trees thinned and the pond came into view, Draco's heart swelled. Hermione was sitting, as she had done so many times in the past, upon one of the two swings in their little park. Draco emerged from the trees, and walked tentatively towards her. As she looked up, Draco realized how very different they both were now. Their lives had been turned upside down, and the effects were apparent on both of their faces.

Draco had nothing to lose anymore. He was not worried about endangering her further, because she was in the utmost danger no matter what. He approached her, hesitantly at first, but once he was close enough to her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Pressing his lips firmly against hers, he embraced her. She returned his kiss, but after only a moment, Draco realized that she was crying. He pulled away.

"Hermione," He spoke softly.

"Draco, I can't stay long." Hermione said, the pain in her voice apparent.

Draco began to feel the emotion welling up inside him as well.

"Let's leave!" He said desperately. "We can go, right now. We can hide!"

Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head. "You know I can't Draco. I could never live with myself."

He admired her convictions, but he also hated her for them.

"Please..Hermione" Draco begged, clasping both of her hands in his.

"Stop." She said firmly. "I'm leaving soon...for the Burrow." She hesitated. " I'm going to help Harry. I can't leave him and Ron. They're my best friends. They need me."

Draco dropped her hands and took a step back. "I thought I was your best friend." He said defiantly.

Hermione gave a small sob, and covered her mouth with her hand. "Draco," she said "please understand."

She looked up at him, and her watery eyes met his. She took a step towards him and reached out. He obliged by extending his hand into hers. Grasping it, she took another deep breath, choking back tears.

"We're on different sides now. As much as I love you, I can't agree with what you're doing."

Draco's heart stopped. She had said that she loved him. He moved towards her, clutching her hand even tighter than before. "If you love me than just run away with me!"

She shook her head again. "I could never live with myself if I ran, and left my friends behind." She gave a sniff. "I love you," she repeated, "but I love them more."

Draco's whole being split in half. His body crumbled, and at the same time, stood in tact. She loved him...just not enough.

He leaned forward and kissed her once more. He wanted to remember the taste of her lips. Allowing himself to succumb to his emotions for just a moment longer, he held her close to his body, before releasing her, and turning his back.

"Goodbye Hermione, " He said quietly, before turning on the spot and disappearing with a small pop.

Hermione collapsed to the ground, her emotion overtaking her. She wanted to ask Draco to come with her. She wanted to explain to him how she was giving up her whole life. Placing a spell on her parents so that they wouldn't even remember her. She needed him. She could save him from the Dark Lord...but it was too late. Draco was gone.

Draco sat up in his bed and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes fell on a newspaper article that was lying on the table next to his bed. Hermione's face looked back at him, alongside several others including a few classmates that Draco recognized from Hogwarts.

MISSING MUGGLE-BORNS

The following persons remain unaccounted for. Ministry officials urge anyone with information on their whereabouts to come forward. These muggle-borns are believed to have stolen magic from unknown witches or wizards, and are masquerading as magical beings. A reward will be given to any persons who present one of these wanted muggle-borns before the Ministry.

Draco rolled his eyes. As if a muggle could steal magic from a wizard. The idea was ridiculous. Anyone who knew Hermione would be able to vouch for her miraculous abilities. It was obvious that her magic came naturally. He had witnessed her talents first hand, as young as 9 years old, when she unintentionally threw him into the pond. He smiled a little to himself. Times were so simple then. Draco didn't even sleep anymore. He just lay awake wondering where she was. He hoped that Potter was keeping her safe.

Days went past, then weeks, then months. Draco craved news of Hermione's whereabouts. On the few occasions where the other Death Eaters brought rumors of Potter's location, Draco immediately dissaperated to the spot, hoping desperately to catch a glimpse of her. A street in London, a hillside, the Forest of Dean. He popped from place to place. As badly as Draco wanted to see her, he secretly thanked the gods every time he didn't. If he could find her, so could others. He was just thankful that she was safe. As Draco sat in the drawing room one evening, having just finished dinner with his parents, there was a commotion at the door.

"What is this?" His mother asked, opening the door to a large group of people.

"We've caught Harry Potter." Came Fenrir Grayback's voice, and Draco's stomach dropped.

The crowd bustled in. Draco watched as the snatchers brought in a group of people, all tied together. He held his breath as they came closer. Then his eyes fell upon her, and he felt his body go numb. She was thinner than usual, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Draco felt his knees going weak, but he forced himself to stand tall. He couldn't give away his attachment to her.

"Draco, come here." His mother instructed.

Hermione was pulled around as those she was tied to where pivoted. Hermione could not see Draco, but she knew he was now face-to-face with Harry.

Draco took a few steps forward as they pulled Potter around to face him. All eyes were on him.

"Well Draco?" Lucius Malfoy questioned. "Is it Harry Potter?"

Draco hesitated. He looked into Potter's face. It was swollen, and red, as if Potter had been stung by something, or perhaps had been on the wrong end of a curse. But Draco was sure..it was definitely Potter. He would recognize that mop of hair and green eyes anywhere. Potter looked at him, his eyes almost pleading.

"I can't...I can't be sure.." Draco said quietly, making the decision to play dumb. He hated Potter, but he didn't want him dead. And he certainly didn't want anything to happen to Hermione for associating with Potter.

Hermione closed her eyes, silently thanking Draco for not revealing them. She knew there was still some good in him.

"What about the mudblood then?" Greyback growled, shifting the prisoners so that Hermione's face was bathed in the light of the chandelier. Draco's eyes fell upon her face, and he felt his breath catch.Though she looked like she hadn't had a proper meal or a good nights sleep in months, she was still just as beautiful as ever. How many nights had he dreamed of her face. He wanted to feel his skin against her's more than anything. He fought the urge to reach up and place his hand on her face.

"I saw her picture in the Prophet!" Narcissa exclaimed. "Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?"

Draco took a step closer to her, and their eyes made contact. It was the most painful thing Draco had ever experienced. Hermione's brown eyes bore into his soul, and he felt his grey one's fill with tears, his face only a foot from hers. For a brief moment, Draco thought he saw her lips move ever so slightly, forming the word "please" as they looked at each other.

"I...maybe..." Draco couldn't form a sentence. He closed his eyes. He didn't know what to do.

Draco looked at Hermione again. "I'm sorry" he mouthed, barely moving his lips. He hoped she would see it and understand that he didn't want any of this.

Suddenly his aunt was shouting at one of the snatchers. Draco couldn't listen. He didn't care. He couldn't take his eyes off of Hermione.

"Where did you find this sword?" Bellatrix said angrily once more, pointing her wand at the snatcher. "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"

Everyone was shouting. Were they really this upset about some stupid sword? Draco did not understand what all the panic was for.

"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback." Said Draco's mother, but before Grayback could move, Bellatrix interjected.

"Wait," she said sharply. "All except... except for the Mudblood."

Draco felt a panic rush through him. He had to do something, but he was paralyzed by fear, and hating himself more by the second.

Weasley shouted. "No! You can have me, keep me!"

Draco's aunt struck Weasley hard against the face and laughed "If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next. Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. "

Hermione was untied and thrown to the floor, while the others were dragged away. Draco could hear Weasley screaming for Hermione as he was dragged to the dungeons below.

Time seemed to slow. Draco's eyes fell on Hermione as she began to push herself up from the floor. As her gaze met his he took two steps towards her, extending his hand slightly.

"Crucio!" Shouted his aunt's voice, and Hermione's screams of agony filled Draco's ears, rooting him to his spot.

"Where did you get the sword!?" Shouted Bellatrix as she lifted the curse. Hermione's body fell limp.

"It's a fake." Hermione whimpered, her body still feeling the after effects of the curse.

"Liar!" Bellatrix shouted firing another curse at Hermione.

Hermione writhed in pain, screaming. It was the worst noise Draco had ever heard. He took a few steps back, feeling that he might pass out, and leaned against the wall behind him, his eyes shut as tight as he could. And then, as Hermione's screams of pain subsided, she gave the smallest sob.

"Draco.." Came her voice through the tears. Almost so quietly that for a moment, Draco thought he imagined it.

"Ha!" Laughed Bellatrix. "Don't you dare speak to my nephew! Just because you went to school together means nothing!" She gave another screech of laughter. "Draco has no pity for a pathetic mudblood like you."

"Draco...please..." Hermione said weakly, and Draco fell to the floor. He could no longer support himself, and could no longer keep the tears from falling freely down his face.

"Enough!" Shouted Bellatrix. "You filthy mudblood! What else have you stolen from my vault?"

Hermione pushed herself up to look at Bellatrix and said more forcefully than Draco would have thought possible "Nothing!"

"Liar!" Bellatrix shouted again and aimed her wand at Hermione. With a flash of light, and another cry of "Crucio!" Hermione gave a horrible scream, and fell to the ground where she lay limp, and barely moving.

The goblin was called up from the dungeon, but Draco could no longer hear anything that was being said. He didn't care. He could not rip his eyes from Hermione's barely conscious body.

"We can dispose of the Mudblood." Came Bellatrix's voice. "Greyback, take her if you want her."

"NOOOOOOOOO" Draco felt himself shout as he lunged forward, attempting to stand, but his voice was horse, and he was not the only one that had shouted.

Weasley burst into the room, closely followed by Potter. Draco managed to regain his composure for just a moment before his wand was ripped from his hand by a disarming charm sent by Potter.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Draco spun around. Bellatrix had an unconscious Hermione in her arms with a knife pressed firmly against Hermione's throat. Everyone in the room froze. Bellatrix ushered Draco forward to collect everyone's wands. As he turned back with the wands in hand, he chanced a quick look at Hermione. A trickle of blood was dripping down her throat from where the knife was pressing into her skin. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise. Draco looked up for the source of the noise, and a memory from his childhood seemed to flash before his eyes. His grandfather's crystal chandelier came crashing to the things seemed to happen all at once. Bellatrix flung Hermione away from her, Potter lunged forward and grabbed the wands from Draco's hand, and as Draco's mother pulled him out of harm's way, Dobby, their old house elf grabbed everyone, and they vanished into thin air.

Draco stumbled into the hallway, and fell to the ground, trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Draco," came his mother's urgent voice. He felt her hand grasping his arm, pulling him to his feet. "Draco, we are in trouble! The Dark Lord is on his way, and he will not be happy to find that we have allowed Potter to escape." She was pulling him down the hallway. "You must stay in your room, and no matter what you hear, do not come out."

They had reached Draco's room. Narcissa pushed him inside, paused for a moment and looked at him.

"My sweet boy." She said quietly, taking his face in her hands, before stepping back, and closing his door. Draco heard the lock click from the outside.

Draco was living in a nightmare. Days past, and then even more days. He couldn't distinguish them. Finally, he had the chance to go back to Hogwarts, and he relished the idea. He so desperately wanted things to go back to the way they were.

And then he was there. He was in the very corridors that he walked as a child. When things were so easy. When his family wasn't constantly in pain. He would do anything to keep his mother safe. He never wanted her to feel pain again. So he was fighting. Draco rushed down the corridor as spells flew through the air around him. Crabbe and Goyle were at his side. He ran around the corner and froze. Hermione was standing with Potter and Weasley outside the Room of Requirement. Before Draco could do anything though, Hermione flung herself into Weasley's arms, kissing him fiercely. What little color he had left drained from Draco's face as he watched the passion with which they kissed each other. For a moment, he almost forgot they were in the middle of a war. He felt sick. As he watched them, he could see a passion flow from Hermione in a way that she had never shown toward him.

When they broke apart, Potter pulled them into the Room of Requirement. Draco, rushed after them, with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. Potter was looking for something. If Draco had any chance of keeping his family safe, he needed to find it first. Hermione and Weasley were nowhere to be found, but Potter was in sight.

"Hold it, Potter." Draco said loudly, and Potter turned to see the wands of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all pointing at him.

"How did you get in here?" Potter questioned.

"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year," Draco snapped back. "I know how to get in."

Things got out of hand quicker than Draco expected. Ever since Draco's family had disgraced themselves in the eyes of the Dark Lord, Crabbe and Goyle didn't respect him any more.

"Who cares what you think?" Crabbe spat ferociously at Draco, when Draco attempted to stop him from destroying everything in the room. "I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished."

Crabbe was shooting jinxes in every direction, and aiming to kill.

"STOP!" Draco shouted, but it did no good.

Crabbe spun around as a stunning spell shot right past his head. Draco looked up into the angry eyes of Hermione.

"It's that Mudblood!" Crabbe shouted. "Avada Kedavra!"

Draco grabbed Crabbe and pulled him aside, disrupting his aim at Hermione. Draco's wand was knocked from his hands.

"Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" Draco shouted at Crabbe and Goyle as they both turned their wands on Potter. But Potter was ready for them.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted.

Spells were flying everywhere. Draco could do nothing without his wand, and ducked behind a wardrobe. Suddenly, there was a roaring noise, and flames erupted up the isle. "Oh no" Draco thought. "What has that idiot done now?" Crabbe was running past everyone. He didn't seem to have any control over the friendfyre he had conjured. The flames rose and crashed, forming horrible beasts that seemed to chase them around the room, set on destroying everything in their path. Draco tried to escape by climbing a pile or desks that rose above the flame. He frantically looked around for Hermione. Panic was overwhelming him. He was going to die here, and he would never even see her face again. Goyle was right behind him, but he could hear him choking on the smoke, his breath becoming more of a wheeze as they climbed. Crabbe was nowhere to be seen. At the top of the desks, Draco called out.

"Hermione!" he yelled, though he doubted anyone could hear him over the roar of the flames.

He felt Goyle begin to collapse next to him, and Draco grabbed his unconscious body to keep him from toppling off the desks and into the flames below. Suddenly, Draco caught a glimpse of two brooms emerging out of the heavy smoke. Hermione was safe behind Weasley, and Potter was coming straight for him. Draco put his hand in the air as Potter reached for him. Their hands grasped, but slipped apart quickly due to the heavy sweat caused by heat and fear. On the second time around, Potter caught hold of Draco. Weasley pulled his broom up beside them and Hermione helped Draco lift Goyle's unconscious body onto the broom. They made eye contact for a split second, and Hermione grasped Draco's hand in a reassuring way before their broom took off again. Draco jumped onto the broom behind Potter and they soared towards the door. As both broomsticks toppled into the hallway, the Room of Requirement was sealed behind them. Draco lay on the floor gasping for air, his lungs filled with smoke from the raging flames they had just escaped. Draco rolled over, and sat up, still struggling to speak.

"C-Crabbe?" Draco questioned.

"He's dead," Weasley responded harshly.

Draco put his face in his hands. Crabbe had been one of his best friends for the past 7 years. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. It gave a small squeeze, and he looked up just in time to see Hermione sprinting away into the battle after Potter and Weasley.


	10. Chapter 10 -Three Years Later

Draco sat in an almost empty pub just outside of London. It had been three years since the war. Three years since his family's disgrace, and his last time setting foot inside of Hogwarts. As he sat there, he thought about everything that had happened since that time. He thought about the way it felt, after the war. In the aftermath of the final battle, he and his parents had snuck from the castle, unnoticed, and gone into hiding briefly before returning to the wizarding world, claiming, as they had after the first war that they had been enchanted by Lord Voldemort. Draco pictured that day, fleeing the castle, unable to even say goodbye.

His family had been pardoned by the ministry, though most of the wizarding world still viewed them as criminals. His father had arranged for Draco to marry the younger sister of one of Draco's former classmates named Astoria Greengrass. She was pure blood, of course, and Draco couldn't help but admit that she was beautiful. However, he was finding it a difficult time to accept that she would be his companion for the rest of his life. He tried to convince himself that he was lucky. He could, of course, have ended up with someone much worse, such as Pansy Parkinson. Astoria was kind, and compassionate, despite being a Slytherin. Though he knew that she didn't love him either, they got along well, and had agreed to make the best of it.

Yet here he was, sitting in a pub, waiting for a ghost from his past who he wasn't even sure would show up. Draco sighed, putting his face in his hands and closing his eyes. What was he thinking? He was such an idiot.

"Draco?" Came a soft voice, and he looked up.

"You came," he said, shocked as he gazed at the beautiful woman standing before him. "Please...sit down."

Hermione sat opposite Draco, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

"Why did you ask me here Draco?" She questioned.

"I just..." Draco hesitated. "I just wanted to see you."

Draco looked down. "It's been three years." Hermione said. "You just randomly decided that you wanted to see me?"

Draco closed his eyes for just a moment before looking up at her. He was relieved to see that there was a slight smile playing across her lips. She was teasing him.

"It's good to see you." Hermione continued. "I hope you're doing well."

"Yeah..." Draco said, smiling slightly himself. "I'm doing alright. How have you been?"

As Hermione told him about the last three years of her life, the awkwardness that Draco was feeling dissolved. He ordered them each another drink, and listened to her tell him of her job at the Ministry, her engagement to Ron, and those from Hogwarts that she still spoke to. Her voice was almost therapeutic for him.

"I heard that you're recently engaged yourself." Hermione said casually, though Draco knew that she was hoping to hear the details.

Draco laughed a little. "yeah, well...not by choice." He said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing a little in a way that Draco loved.

"It's arranged." Draco continued. "Our families set it up."

"Well do you like her?" Hermione pressed.

"Yeah...I guess." Draco paused. "She's great." He said finally.

"Well good." Hermione said matter of factly. "I just want you to be happy."

"Last call!" came a voice from the bar.

Hermione looked up. "Oh, goodness! I didn't realize how long we've been talking."

Draco looked at his hands. "I don't want this to be over yet." He said. "I'm staying just down the road. We could continue our conversation there"

Hermione looked a little startled. "Oh, well...It's getting late." She stood. "I really should be getting home."

"Please Hermione." Draco stood as well. "I promise I won't keep you much later. It's just been really nice catching up with you." He took a step towards her. "I've really missed you."

Hermione hesitated. "Well...alright." She gave a small smile. "But only for a little bit."

They left the pub and walked through the dark, snowy streets. Hermione took Draco's arm and he led her down the street to a small flat where he was staying. He unlocked the door, and let her inside. Using his wand, he lit a fire in the fireplace, immediately bathing the room in a warm glow. Hermione took off her jacket, and sat down on the small couch. The living room was small, with an adjoining kitchen. A small hallway led to a few closed doors that she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom.

"Not quite your usual standard of living." Hermione commented as Draco uncorked a bottle of wine and came into the living room with two glasses.

Draco laughed. "Well it's better than living in my parents' home. I'm only here until I get married, and then Astoria and I will be moving into a mansion on the other side of town."

Hermione laughed. "Well that sounds more like it." Draco loved the sound of her laugh. He offered her the wine, which she took and sipped.

Sitting beside her, Draco couldn't help but notice that though she looked older from the last time he saw her, she looked so much more beautiful as well. As they talked, and drank, Draco felt himself being transported back in time. It was as if no time had passed at all. They were best friends again, and everything was back to normal.

"The wine is gone." Hermione laughed as she drained what was left in her glass. "How many bottles did we go through?"

Draco laughed along with her. "A few." He responded.

He moved closer to her on the couch, and took her hands in his. Hermione's laughter faded as she looked at him, apparently surprised by the touch of his skin on her's.

"Hermione," Draco began, throwing caution to the wind. "Run away with me."

"What?" Hermione gasped. "Draco, you know we can't do that."

"Of course we can." Draco spoke as he pulled her closer to him. The wine was making him brave. "I love you." He placed his hand gently on her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her. Despite her better judgment, Hermione allowed his lips to brush her's. She hadn't been this close to him in years, and for some reason, it felt like being home. After a moment, she came to her senses and pulled away,

"I love Ron." She said quietly.

Draco looked down and closed his eyes for a moment. He ran his fingers over her hands. His eyes followed his finger tips as he traced her veins up her arm. He was trying to memorize every inch of her before she spoke again.

"Draco..." She said tentatively.

"I know." He said quietly, cutting her off. "I know you love him." He gently touched her hair. "But I know you love me too."

"But Draco..."

"Please don't say that you love me, but just not enough." Draco pleaded closing his eyes again. "Please, just for a minute...just love me."

Hermione looked at him. He was so much older now. She hadn't properly seen him in so many years. He was handsome, no one could deny that. As she looked at him, she remembered how close they once were. No one knew her the way that Draco did...not even Ron. Maybe it was the rush of memories, or maybe it was the wine, but she found herself reaching up and brushing her hands through Draco's hair. His eyes opened at her touch. Those eyes that she had thought about so many times in the last few years. Cold, and gray, but filled with devotion, and a desire to give her the world. She didn't know who moved first, but their lips were once again pressed against each other. Fiercly, and desperately this time. Draco's hands were on her back as they fell as one onto the couch. Draco could feel her body beneath him, and his desire for her grew stronger. He felt her fingers at his shirt collar.

The way that Draco kissed Hermione made her feel weak. She had never found anyone who kissed her the way that he did. Like he was thinking of nothing but her, like he couldn't get enough. She knew that she would regret it if she let this happen, but she also knew that she would regret it even more if she stopped. Hastily, Hermione began to unbutton Draco's shirt, exposing his toned chest. When each button had been undone, Draco allowed her to push the cloth off of his shoulders and down his strong arms. Draco grasped Hermione's arm and steered her into a sitting position, swiftly pulling her shirt off over her head. Before she could even bring her arms back down, his lips were on her neck, moving frantically over her shoulders, his fingers slipped under her bra strap and he slid it down to hang loosely around her upper arm.

Grabbing Hermione's hands, Draco pulled her to her feet, where she only stood a moment before she was in his arms, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist. Hermione's hands were in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss as Draco carried her to the hallway. Hermione's back pressed against the cool wall, as Draco's lips trailed kisses across her chest. His hands reached up to unclasp her lace bra, and it fell to the floor to reveal her breasts. Draco's strong hands were surprisingly gentle as they roamed Hermione's body. Hermione gasped as Draco's lips found her nipples. His tongue flicking gently across them in turn. A gentle moan escaped Hermione's lips. It was very quiet, but Draco heard it, and it fueled him. He lowered Hermione, so that her feet could touch the floor, and pulled her towards the first door, continuing to kiss her as they moved. The door opened into a small, but cozy bedroom, and Draco fell onto his bed, pulling Hermione on top of him. As they kissed, he rolled her onto her back, his lips finding her stomach. Hermione's hands grasped Draco's shoulders as he planted soft kisses down her body. Draco unbuttoned her jeans, and pulled them gently down her legs which were dangling over the edge of the bed. He gently kissed the inside of her thighs, his fingers brushing softly over the cloth that still lay between him and her body. Hermione moaned softly again, raising her hips slightly, giving him permission. Draco smiled to himself as he looked at her beautiful form, her soft porcelain skin, the look on her face. Was this really happening? He hooked his fingers under the thin material of her undies and pulled them off of her body.

Kneeling on the floor beside the bed, Draco's hands ran up Hermione's legs. She parted them at his touch, and his fingers brushed between them. He was surprised by how wet she was, and it made his stomach do a back flip, as his jeans began to feel even more uncomfortable. He leaned forward and tasted her, enjoying the way she gasped as he moved his tongue. Hermione's knees bent, drawing him in closer, and he felt her hands grasp his hair tightly. Her body moved in reaction to Draco's touches, as his hands firmly held her hips.

Finally, Draco stood. Never had he seen anything more beautiful in his life, than Hermione. She was perfect to him in every single way. He climbed onto the bed. Lifting her around the waist with one arm he pulled her up higher on the bed, so that her legs her no longer dangling. He kissed her passionately as her hands pulled at the button on his jeans. Hermione pushed Draco's pants over his hips, along with the cloth beneath them. Her desire for him was unlike anything she had every experienced. She needed him. Draco's hands ran along her legs, and she lifted her hips off the bed to meet his body. She felt him, warm and hard against her. Draco entered her, and Hermione felt her pleasure mounting. No one have ever touched her with the same intensity that Draco did.

Draco thrust into her, and her legs tightened around him, pulling him in deeper, urging him to increase his force and speed. The pleasure he was feeling was only heightened by the sight of Hermione, her head thrown back, her fingernails digging into his arms. Draco leaned down and kissed her.

"You're so beautiful." Draco whispered in her ear and their bodies moved together. "I love you so much."

He brushed her hair out of her face, and they locked eyes. Cold gray, to warm brown.

"I love you too." Hermione whispered back. She arched her back as waves of pleasure swept over her. Only moments later, Draco joined her, and they held each other tightly, breathing heavily.

As his breath finally slowed, Draco rolled off of her, and brushed his own hair from his face. He gazed down at Hermione, who's eyes were closed, and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. He couldn't believe that she was lying next to him. He had dreamt about her so many times, that it no longer felt real. Draco wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the back of her shoulder. He knew that when they woke in the morning, this would be nothing but a memory. Hermione loved Ron, and Draco knew she would never leave him. Hermione and Draco would never be together. Draco wanted nothing more than to spend every moment with her for the rest of his life. He'd always felt that way, from the moment he first met her when they were 9 years old, but in a few short hours when the sun rose, she would belong to Ron again, and Draco would belong to Astoria.


End file.
